A wicked networking tip that also builds rapport
Here’s a neat piece of etiquette advice that ensures people get your name right
A young woman who attended one of our savvy networking seminars told me that her boyfriend always had people getting his name wrong. His name was Matt but people would call him Pat or Mark, either because they misheard him or because they forgot.
But you can call me…
This happened so often that he decided to come up with something to fix it. He started to introduce himself to new people as Matthew but he immediately added the phrase “but you can call me Matt”. And it worked!
An unexpected bonus with this advice
Suddenly no one was getting his name wrong anymore. He was also surprised to discover that when he introduced himself this way people seem to warm up to him quicker. It was as though they had moved the relationship to a closer level.
This etiquette and networking tip accomplishes two things:
- It helps people get your name right so you don’t have to correct them
- It subconsciously builds a higher level of rapport since you have given people permission to be more familiar with you
I’m going to try this advice
People often get my name wrong; instead of Terry they usually call me Jerry or Barry. My given name is Terence (but only my mother calls me that). From now on I’m going to give this tip a twirl.
“Hi, my name is Terence but you can call me Terry.” Don’t you feel closer to me already?
PS – If you’ve got any of your own name issues, how to tips, advice or workarounds, please share and comment below.
Carey, names that rhyme cause a lot of confusion, but Casey does seems a little out in left field 🙂
I sometimes suggest that people try tying their name to a common word. The word “care” comes to mind with your name. You might gently correct people using a phrase “Actually it’s Carey, I like to think it’s because I care about people.”
Great tip! Thank you.
Terry, I have the same type of name that rhymes, so it could be Carey, Mary, Sherry etc, Strangely enough the most common thing people call me is Casey – I can only imagine that they are baseball fans and thinking of the poem Casey at the Bat – haven’t worked out a good way to get around it except to correct them.
Nice one. Lori. That’s a great bonus of getting the spelling right too. There are so many creative ways to spell names.
Good article! I like to tell people my parents gave me a four letter word for a name – Lori! I don’t think anyone has forgotten and they know how to spell my name right, too! I don’t use this in all situations, obviously, but in informal settings it seems to work!
That’s a great tip John. Thanks for sharing. It requires some work to remember names but it’s so worthwhile and people really do appreciate the effort.
Hi Terry,
I am constantly forgetting names; I find what works for me when I forget a name, I ask them, ‘Now how exactly do you spell your name, as I know that there are so many variations on how to spell your name’. It usually works because it is true when it comes to the spelling of names. I have seen Karen, Carin, Joanne, Jo Ann, Joeanne, and so on.
I would now like to comment on the remarkable memory of individuals with a Developmental Delay. It has always been my experience whether I am at work, on the bus or out and about, and I meet some with a similar diagnosis, it has always been my experience that they are exceptional listeners. I say this because so many of them use my name in a sentence. When we part, I usually hear for the most part, ‘Bye John’.