It is so important to get people's name right. I
appreciate that I don’t have the easiest name to pronounce, but, it really
means a lot when someone checks how to pronounce it and tries to make an effort
to get it right. It boils down to respect.
Sometime ago during a business lunch, I sat next to a gentleman, a term I use very loosely, here is the conversation:
Regine: Hi, my name is Regine
"Gentleman": Oh, you mean "Régine"
(pronouncing it with a French accent)
Regine: Uhm, no, Regine (emphasising the
"g")
"Gentleman": Yes, but the French
pronounce it Régine
Regine: Yes, they do, but mine is pronounced
"Regien"; it is my Grandmother's name.
"Gentleman": waves hand at me and says,
"ag don't worry about it," and turns his back to me.
I shared this story with my team as part of our weekly lessons learnt and linking it to our core values during a team meeting. One of my colleagues then shared this wonderful poem:
“Give
your daughters difficult names.
Give
your daughters names that command the full use of the tongue.
My
name makes you want to tell me the truth.
My
name doesn’t allow me to trust anyone that cannot pronounce it right”
~Warsan Shire
