Belated introductions

[MisterDweeb]

There are a number of people I've known at work, through meetups etc. for several months and for whom I only know their names (if that). Either I didn't ask the standard getting-to-know-you questions when it would have been appropriate, or I asked and forgot - and now I feel it would be weird to ask, or to try to strike up a conversation on a presumed topic of mutual interest. Has any one else been in this position?

[Enail]

I'm really bad with both names and faces, so I do that all the time! I think you can either just start talking to them on a topic at hand (comment on the situation, ask how something you're both working on is coming along, a new development in a topic likely to be of shared interest), or be upfront about it, "hey, this is embarrassing given how long we've both been here, but I never actually caught your name the first time." Both those have worked fine when I've done them, and it's not that uncommon for the other person to admit they don't know your name either, IME.