Remember someone’s name after one introduction and you’ve taught them they matter.

Using someone’s name after one meeting communicates something before any content does: that they registered, that they were not background. Most people expect to be forgotten, so the small surprise of being remembered lands harder than it should. It is a skill rather than a gift, and mostly it is attention at the moment of introduction.

Repeat the name back when you hear it and use it once in the first minute. Attach it to something specific about them rather than to their face. If you forget, ask again and apologise briefly, which is still better than avoiding them for a year.