This may come off as a bit of a rant. And, for that, I apologize.
My intent is to help you by helping yourself.
And, by helping others to clearly see your name and perhaps skip a potentially embarrassing situation.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a Millennial, a Gen Z, a Gen X’er or a Baby Boomer.
Where You Wear Your Badge Matters
Let’s Get Started
What hand do you shake hands with?
Typically it’s the right hand, right?
When you go to shake someone’s hand you will lead with your right hand and lean in with your right shoulder.
When you do this and when you are wearing your name badge on the right side of your chest people will have a much higher chance of seeing your name.
This is a good thing and a good start.
Note: This is for people that actually want to address people by their preferred name.
Hint: Which is… EVERYONE!
One Simple Tip
If you do this one simple tip you can save yourself and possibly the other person some embarrassment.
How often do you see someone and know who they are, but for whatever reason cannot remember their name?
If you are like most people… it’s ALL THE TIME.
This is especially true at trade shows and events. You meet and see a ton of people all over the place.
Sure, wearing a badge might seem cliché.
But, the reality is… everyone can use a little help remembering names.
Why not make it as easy as possible?
As you go towards someone to say hello you can take a quick glance at their name badge and voila.
Since you’re going to lead with your right hand and shoulder… you might as well lead with your name badge too.
- Trade Shows Get It – They have adopted a lanyard model that for the most part keeps your name right in the middle of your body.
- Modern Twist – Some people have tweaked their smartphones to display their name (and other messages) while wearing their phone their chest. (If you do this … do you wear it on the right side of your body? I hope so.
- Pro Tip: Take 2 seconds to look in the mirror to make sure others can see your name (assuming you want people to do so)
Why does this matter?
On the grand scheme of things it’s probably not going to make or break a business deal. But, it may enhance a friendship.
People DO like to be recognized and called by their actual name.
The science backs this up. See “The Power of Using Someone’s Name” for a bit more detail on this.
As Maya Angelou said…
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
When you use someone’s name… they will feel you. They will remember.
This is NOT a trick. It’s common sense and in a sense it’s common decency.
This is NOT new
I learned this tip from the founder of the company of my formal job in the tech sector.
I learned a lot from him and credit him with giving me a great perspective on how to treat competitors.
Hint: With Respect!
Some of that initial respect comes from calling people by their preferred name. Wearing your badge on your leading edge helps.
Getting it Right
Putting your badge on the right side is the right thing to do.
Too many people put their badge on the left side, often where their pocket on their coat or shirt.
Together we can fix that.
One badge at a time.
Who’s with me?
I submit that those that commit to wearing their badge on the right side will stand out in their career.
I don’t have the empirical evidence to support this, but I know from 20+ years of attending trade shows and events that I like to call people by their preferred name and I like it when they do the same for me.
PS – You don’t need to correct people for wearing their badge on the “wrong” side. But, you might find that you really start to notice people that do.
So, What Side Do You Put Your Name Badge On Today?
After what you read here…
Now, What Side Will You Put Your Name Badge On?
