As a person who believes in the power of using people’s first names when networking in business, but who has a permanent impairment when it comes to remembering them, I found this post from Gretchen Rubin over at the Happiness Project extremely valuable.  Gretchen says that there are numerous polite ways to disguise your forgetfulness, including the following:

1. The “I know your name, but I’m blocked” dodge:
“I keep wanting to call you David, but I know that’s not right.”

2. The “Of course I know you - in fact, I want all your information” dodge:
“Hey, I’d love to get your card.”

3. The “The tip of my tongue” dodge:
“I know I know your name, but I’m blanking right now.”

4. The “You’re brilliant!” dodge:
“Wow, you have a terrific memory. I can’t believe you remember my name from that meeting six months ago. I can’t remember the names of people I met yesterday! So of course I have to ask you your name.”

5. The “Sure, I remember you” dodge:
“Remind me – what’s your last name?” If you ask a person for his last name, he’s likely to repeat both names. “Doe, John Doe.”

6. The “One-sided introduction” dodge:
“Hey,” you say to the person whose name you can’t remember, “let me introduce you to Pat Smith.” You introduce the two and say the name of the person whose name you remember. Almost always, the nameless person will volunteer his or her name.

Also, remember that others might have trouble remembering your name. When you’re saying hello to someone, err on the side of re-introducing yourself. “Hi, John, it’s Alexandra Levit.” Say your name slowly and clearly. And don’t get offended if someone doesn’t remember your name, because you know how challenging it is!