I’m doing some organisational values and culture comms at the moment, and one of the aspects to this is a piece on respect for names, name changes and name pronunciation, and how we can all easily take the time to make sure we say our colleagues’ names correctly. 

It’s got me thinking about a conversation with a senior editor in my first journalism job, at a community newspaper. This senior editor’s advice – always make sure you get people’s names right – has been important all through my career. I can still remember her words: “People get upset when their names are spelled incorrectly. Even if you get everything else right in a complex article, spell their name incorrectly and you’ll hear about it from them in letters, phone calls and emails.”

I, too, get annoyed when people get my name wrong. My surname – short but deadly – has tripped many people up. (It’s pronounced “pole”, as in North Pole, by the way.) It drives me nuts when someone calls me Joanna, instead of Joanne. It’s not so much a pronunciation issue as it is about accuracy, with my first name, but no less agitating. 

I am touched when people I meet for the first time ask if I prefer “Jo” or “Joanne” (thank you for asking!). My response is usually, I don’t mind either “Joanne” or “Jo”, but please, never “Joanna”. You may as well call me “Gertrude” because it’s no more my name than “Joanna” is. I have since found that many Joannas I meet experience the reverse, being called Joanne – much to their equal frustration. 

The new LinkedIn functionality to record the pronunciation of your name is so timely, and I’ve recorded mine. I think it’s great that we now have the opportunity to help others in pronouncing our names.

Our names – spelling, pronunciation, or changes to our names – are deeply personal to us. They connect to family traditions, our cultures and histories. They are the words we use to define and identify our ‘self’. Let’s all take the time and make a little effort in showing each other the respect and courtesy of getting each others’ names right.