An article in January 2018 Delta SkyMiles magazine shares how Greta Gerwig, director of the hit movie Lady Bird, uses name tags to build a sense of belonging with everyone on the set.
Name tags are something I use in training and facilitating even when the people in the group work together and should know each other’s names. Of course, it can be helpful for me the trainer. Though I am good at remembering names, it can still help me when it’s been a while since I’ve been with the group. More importantly, it’s been helpful for the attendees who may not work directly with some of their fellow employees and so might feel embarrassed to not remember names of co-workers.
Gerwig shared a great tip for using nametags to build a sense of fun and belonging on the set. They post a question the person is asked to write the answer to beneath their name. That day her production assistant Dana came up with the question of the day – “What’s a movie you should like but don’t?” to which Gerwig’s handwritten answer was “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
The question encourages everyone to take a moment to look at the person’s name tags. It takes away the embarrassment of needing to look to see the person =’s name while hoping they don’t notice you needed the memory jogger. At the same time, you’re learning something new about the person. It can be a great way to start conversations that otherwise might not happen. It builds relationships and connections so important in adding value to face-to-face training and meetings.
At the very least, instead of preprinting name tags, consider having colored markers and letting people write their own. That way they can indicate if they preferred to be called by their middle name or something different than the formal name printed on a registration roll.
Gerwig shared that she got the idea for nametags from director Mike Mills. She likes it because it gives everyone a chance to know each other and avoid the “hey you” greetings. It also helps participants keep in touch after an event because they know the spelling of the person’s name.