You know how one of the safety basics every meeting attendee should know is to take off their badge when they're outside the meeting space? Well, no one told Scott Ginsberg, who on election day will have worn his name tag exactly four years running. As he says on his Web site:
- In the beginning, it all started out as an experiment. "What would happen if I wore a nametag all the time?" I wondered. Maybe people would be friendlier. Maybe people would be more willing to say hello. Maybe people would stare at me and think I was crazy!
Either way, I predicted that people's reactions to wearing a nametag would be pretty interesting. What I did not predict, however, was that wearing a nametag would become my own effective tool for increasing friendliness; especially in an isolated society that so desperately needs to hear more of the word "hello."
Just think of the different reactions you'd get, depending on the situation: Probably every customer in the store will come up and ask you questions, thinking the nametag means you work there. And I can only imagine what they'd think if you wore one on your bathing suit at the beach! While it has led him to meet many interesting people and have some adventures, Scott does admit the downsides, including that it can be hard on clothes, double as a shaver when wore on a bare chest, and even incite violence on occasion.
I think I'll stick with a friendly "hello" myself, and leave the nametags to Scott.
(via Seth via TSMI Marketing Report.)
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