Individuals are A Great Deal More Open to Approach When You Are Wearing a Name Tag

February 22, 2012

In 21st century America, beginning a dialogue with a unknown person is downright suspect. Making eye contact is difficult. It is best to look busy by engaging with the little screens we carry. You can easily hide behind the impersonal walls many put up to prevent face to face contact at inappropriate times. Even so, what if face to face contact was needed? What is the best way to engage a stranger in a conversation? How about countless strangers in a crowd of thousands? Why not consider name tags?

Implementing the simplest human relationship has grown to be quite difficult for most people. We have been more connected, but less connected. It can be easier than ever to go through life avoiding actual connection with strangers and neighbors, the very people we need to engage if we are going to reach out for virtually any purpose in any way.

During a recently unparalleled blitz against social awkwardness, Meetup.com along with the Huffington Post decided to give away over a half a million name tags to the guests for a recent presidential Inauguration. The name tags read Hello, My Fellow American, My Name Is… and attendees were to write in their name, where they are from and slap it on their coat to begin discussions with fellow Americans.

In doing so, they turned an audience into a community.

People Are a great deal more open to approach and conversation with strangers when their name is visible, for example on name badges. Consider name tags or name badges the next time you might be networking in a large crowd of strangers. You are definite to implement conversations that may become productive and possible even profitable in the long run.