How do I pronounce your name?

Of late, when I have met an individual for the first time, it has been a very common occurrence for the person to ask me how they should be pronouncing my name. Straightaway, you feel that this person cares about you as they are making an effort to say your name correctly – a key aspect of your identity in the world.

We tend to have loads of conversations around inclusion and how we can make a person feel included. Surely, we can make a start by making an effort to utter someone’s name correctly.

If we are unsure, we can simply ask the question as to how to say their name, rather than taking it for granted that we know how to say their name.

The discomfort may lie with both individuals in the interaction, often due to cultural barriers, but not necessarily that might be the only reason. Many believe that it might be offensive to ask how to pronounce someone’s name. To them I will say, please ask, because wrong pronunciation shows higher disregard of someone’s name. And for those, (and I include myself in this category for many years of feeling uncomfortable to correct someone because I felt I could not correct someone), if someone does pronounce your name wrongly, please let the other person know how to correctly pronounce your name rather than feel uncomfortable quietly and let them continue saying it incorrectly in future instances as well.

 Depending on our first language, some names are likely to be easier than the others, but a genuine effort to speak someone’s name correctly can go a long way in making a person be comfortable with their name in the global community.

I would love to see people being able to remain with their original names wherever they work and the adopted name is not driven by the need to fit in. However, if they prefer using an abbreviated name as that gives them a work identity and they prefer using their full name outside work, then that also should be respected.

As I reflected on how it has made me feel in the past and how I have also mispronounced others’ names carelessly, I resolved what corrective course I can take and I have been making a conscious effort to ask when I am meeting someone for the first time.

 I also decided to check if my sensitivity was unfounded and to my surprise, came across a few brilliant articles that highlight this matter and these are listed below:

 If You Don’t Know How to Say Someone’s Name, Just Ask by Ruchika Tulshyan

Why do names and how they're pronounced matter? by BBC UK

Why getting a name right matters by Zulekha Nathoo

Though the most vivid example this week is of Thandiwe Newton, who has gone back to her native name dropping the adopted name of Thandie. Thandiwe Newton corrects spelling of her name after years of being known as Thandie by Sky News

 We can all embrace diversity and drive inclusion with simple acts.

#Inclusion #TribenisPerspectives #NamePronounciationMatters #InclusiveLeadership #DiversityandInclusion