Why It Is Important To Get Someone’s Name Correct

Why It Is Important To Get Someone’s Name Correct, well, because nothing about you is more distinctive than your name. Everyone is aware of this one item about you, and chances are you’ll see it mentioned or written down at some point during the day.

Why Does it Matter?

If your name is “perceived” as being easy to remember or is native to the nation where you currently reside, you might not be familiar with the experience of hearing your name mispronounced frequently and how it can seriously undermine your sense of self. Similarly, if you say another person’s name wrong, it may seem as though you are questioning their identification and sending out the message that pronouncing their name correctly is too difficult and is not worth the mental strain.

How Hard Can Getting a Name Right Really Be?

Of course, some names are harder to pronounce than others, but not taking the time and effort to ensure you are saying and using the right name can give the impression that it is not important enough to you. Asking someone their correct name and how to pronounce it is unlikely to offend, but using a different name or saying the name wrong can be rude and offensive. Ensure you use the correct name and acknowledge the person and their identity. 

How to Become Better at Pronouncing Names Correctly

Here are a few easy pointers to help you do this correctly. The best advice is to ask the person how their name is pronounced and what name they want to be called, rather than assuming that abbreviating a long name is okay. We shouldn’t be afraid or anxious to take that action because they will genuinely value your effort to perform it correctly.

• Instead of saying things like “it’s hard” or asking if they’ve thought about giving themselves a name to simplify it, ask the person how to say their name.
• Consider this an assignment that you must complete, and if you need to, practise pronouncing their name aloud.
• If you don’t know how to pronounce someone’s name, don’t disregard them.
• Pay attention to what other people say; those closest to the person will almost probably be expressing it accurately.
• Before you announce someone’s name, consider it for a few seconds. This is especially important if there’s a chance you might mispronounce them.

It will become subconscious in time, so you won’t have to think about the name every time deliberately—you’ll know it instinctively.

How to Respond if Someone Mispronounces Your Name

Correcting someone shouldn’t make you feel bad about it; instead, feel free to do so and try to do it in a way that doesn’t make them uncomfortable. It’s a great idea to include an audio clip so people can hear how to pronounce things correctly on your internal work profile or LinkedIn/Twitter page.

Ultimately, you should be proud of your name because it is unique and integral to who you are, and in turn, take time to pronounce others’ names correctly.

Contact UKDP for Deed Poll services on 0208 0172216.