I’m not out meeting new people much now, but when I was in a very public role I was having a terrible time with this. I’d be in situations like trade fairs and large gatherings and completely blank out on names despite trying mental memory tricks. I had slightly better recall in other situations where people had name tags, except I’d find myself focusing on memorization of their name, smiling, nodding, etc.

My best workaround was getting a stack of the tiny size Moleskine notebooks and a mini pen and always have it in my purse. I could step away just long enough like I had to check my phone, and quickly jot a few notes about who I’d met, including “short dark hair, glasses etc” to jog my recall later. It was easier for me to scrawl with a pen than try to fumble with my phone. I could also write while pretending to listen to a voicemail.