Networking

[Maydup]

I'm not good at parties or networking or any situation where I have to make conversation with strangers, but tomorrow I have to do it for the benefit of a charity I volunteer with.

One thing I find most awkward, is if I approach someone and introduce myself, and they happily chat but dont say who they are?

Hello I'm Gloria, from charity, thank you so much for coming along this evening. Then we chat and they just fail to tell me who they are. I need something more polite than "Who are you"? We wont have name badges.

[gness]

Maydup. When I'm in that sort of position I just introduce myself then.....I'm sorry, I don't know your name.

Difficult one but that's about the best I've ever come up with.

[Buenchico]

Just go with "May I ask . . . ?", as you're then making a request for information, rather than a demand for it.

E.g. . .

"I'm Gloria, from the new charity, Wasps Are Wonderful. May I ask your name, please?"

"It's Rumpelstitlskin".

"Thank you, Rumpelstiltskin. It's lovely to meet you. Have you ever considered sponsoring a wasp?"

;-)

[Maydup]

Aww thanks, I sometimes find myself being really blunt when I dont know what to say!

[archibaldy]

The most natural way to do this is after at least a couple of back/forth between you, wait for them to say something 'interesting' or 'funny' (you set the bar to your own ends but they must believe you genuinely find it interesting or funny), and at that point you have a legitimate reason to be more interested in them, they are interesting/funny... It's now not awkward at all, naturally they have given you a reason to want to know them better, so you then say something like "My how interesting/funny - what's your name?".

In a sentence, wait for them to give you a reason to want to know their name, then ask for it.

It must be "What's your name?" not "Who are you?", the latter sounds awful to be honest.