name tags - Influencing Identity

Photo IDs Aren’t Just For People

In a touching story from a few years ago, we all learn that it doesn’t matter your position in life, everyone can wear photo IDs!

Ralf: The Therapy Dog who wears Photo ID

To be easily identified in the hospital wards, Ralf, a Giant Schnauzer, must wear a Photo ID on his collar. Ralf has been working miracles by getting kids back on their feet after their operations. He sits with them during treatments or takes them on walks around The Royal Children’s Hospital.

Photo ID Badges quickly identify every employee with their image next to their name and title. These badges are perfect for heightening security and making sure employees feel like they belong. With pictures, names and titles, they are great for schools, high security establishments (like hospitals) and, for that matter, practically any business concerned with safety.

More about Ralf and his Photo ID

therapy hospital dog wearing photo id name tag name badge

An excerpt from Ralf, by Anne Crawford

“It was late March 2012 when Caroline Lovick discovered that the family pet, Ralf, a Giant Schnauzer, had become famous. Ralf was a ‘therapy dog’ at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, padding the wards every week with Caroline, visiting young patients who were ill and injured, helping in their recovery in often remarkable ways. A daily newspaper published a story on 20 March about the ‘miracle’ pooch and the effect he was having on children and adolescents, with a photo of a toddler, Zeke Harrison, who had a rare genetic disease, walking the corridors of the hospital next to the huge black dog. The article and picture of the chubby-legged infant wearing a nasal-gastric tube went from Melbourne to Sydney to newspapers in the United Kingdom and the US, and then spread on the internet. The story took off in Europe. Spain. Turkey. India. Chile. A German radio station sent a crew to Australia to record a show on Ralf. Dawn French, the British comedienne, posted Ralf on her Facebook page. A woman called Karla from Donegal sent him a gift of engraved dog tags on behalf of the people of Ireland. Caroline had always known that there was something special about the dog that looks you directly in the eyes from beneath his shaggy forelock and bushy brows with kind brown eyes. But she wasn’t prepared for this. Ralf had gone global.”

Photo IDs and Other Name Tags

custom name tags name badges used as pet tags

All pets can have their own Photo IDs or name tags. Design your own, or choose from a variety of stock name tags. No matter what you need, we’re sure to have something that will work for your pet.

From dogs to cats, we have even have custom shapes that will suit man’s best friends. Choose from different colors, font choices and make the most out of your new name tags and photo IDs.

Business Ethics and Name Tags

The point of this article is to show how important it is to wear proper personal identification (i.e., name tags and name badges) when building business ethics. Without name tags, people can be left in the dark in situations at a bank or a grocery store.

Business Ethics

And without a name badge, Scott Ginsberg wouldn’t be who he is today. To quote Scott, “Everything I needed to know about business, I learned from that name tag!”

Anecdote 1: (from every day life)

Adhesive name badges in four colors: red, yellow, blue and green with a handwritten name.

Have you ever walked into a store and wanted something specific but there was no one in sight to help you find it? We’ve all experienced this. We’ve all wandered a store looking only to, desperately and at the last minute, find someone who can help. And, typically, this person isn’t wearing any identifiers, especially a name tag or name badge, that would have suggested he/she could help in the first place.

Anecdote 2: (from Scott Ginsberg)

Scott Ginsberg the name tag guy with a my name is name badge and who is about using name tags to define business ethics.

“So there I was, sitting in the audience at a seminar. Surrounding me sat hundreds of us wearing one of those little, handwritten, adhesive name badges. When the event was over, we all filed toward the exit. I approached the door and noticed a small trashcan filled to the brim with used name badges. And that gave me an idea. A crazy idea. Maybe I should keep my name tag on all night! About 10 minutes later I met up with a friend of mine at a local ice cream shop. And that’s when it all started. That’s when the silence was broken. People began to say hello. Random students walked up to me and started conversations. Even complete strangers yelled “Hey Scott!” from across the room!”

Business Ethics Anecdote 3: (from someone required daily to wear a name tag)

“The only purpose of the name tag is for a customer to be able to refer to the name tag wearer in the context of a compliment or complaint. I wear a name tag every day and find that it isn’t a huge thing for me. However, I will say that name tags are generally considered appropriate in this particular field (banking). I do give credit to the executives here as everybody wears one, not just the peons.”

A name tag is merely a symbol that represents several core values that Scott holds close to his heart. “The truth is; my name tag and my values are one in the same. You see, my name tag represents friendliness, approachability, fun, creativity, uniqueness and casualness. Let’s face it, if you wear a name tag all day, every day, wherever you go, you will stand out, and people will notice.”

Attending a Networking Event with Name Tags

Badge holder with a printed insert and matching lanyard and imprinted badge ribbon to help make connections at a networking event.

Lanyards, name tags, reusable badges and even signs are useful tools for any conference or convention. And the corporate event name badge is one detail that has been overlooked too much. For years people have been dealing with this awkward situation over and over again at event after event. As such, setting the stage is just as important as attending a conference or networking event. However, there are many roadblocks along the way.

Here’s the scenario:

“You’ve just arrived at your weekly, cookie-cutter networking event, and after walking up to the registration table, you proceed to search across a sea of identical plastic name badges with tiny print for the one with your name and company printed on it. You’ll affix this name tag to your shirt at the least awkward angle you can finagle, and proceed into a crowded room of people all arching their necks to scope out the people worth chatting to while trying not to stare at someone’s chest for too long. (And most likely many have chosen to position the name) tags to be hidden in the folds of jackets or flipped around entirely making them impossible to read. Good luck with that one.”

Let us help you with finding the perfect solution to this problem. We offer products that facilitate networking and promote making those important connections. Our name tags and reusable badges are perfect for use with our lanyards and other fasteners.

For many people, the idea of wearing a name tag evokes the stale idea of the epic “Hello, my name is…” variety you might find at an awkward mixer or high school reunion. But a name tag is a valuable tool and, when used in fresh and creative ways, it can be an effective tool in helping people at a networking event and when interacting with each other.

Still not convinced on wearing name tags at a networking event?

Here are some creative ways to use any name tag or reusable badge to help eliminate any awkwardness while at a networking event.

Try omitting titles and company names. Use this as an effort to associate people more with what they love to do, or excel at, than what they do for a living. Focus on the individual.

Move beyond the work domain. Try using reusable badges with a catch phrase or other conversation starter to get people to mingle.

Incorporate a theme. It doesn’t matter what the theme is, just as long as it’s geared toward getting people flowing through the masses. After all, it’s about making those important connections.

Name Tag Deficiency Syndrome (NTDS)

Is there really a condition called Name Tag Deficiency Syndrome?

From Scott Ginsberg, The Name Tag Guy:

“Over a half of a million people suffer every year from Emblema Nomenpenia, more commonly known as Name Tag Deficiency Syndrome (NTDS). This debilitating condition has run rampant through the American business community for many decades, experts say, although only recently has it been classified.”

Symptoms: You may experience localized font shrinkage, inflammation of the company logo, noticeable eye irritation due to cluttered texts, absence of upper chest name tag placement and mild conversational uncertainty and frustration.

Possible Side Effects: Beware of sudden, severe attacks of name forgetting, possible networking anxiety, unapproachable behavior, missed opportunities to make new friends or business contacts, and feelings of annoyance due to the inability to say hello to a new member or employee whose name you can’t read because their name tag is turned backwards.

While NTDS is completely “made up,” the side effects are serious! However, this disease is easily treatable and completely curable!

Kris Hay, Communications Coordinator at the University of Puget Sound, offers her advice:

“When it comes to networking, a name tag is a necessity. Anonymity is not to your advantage in these situations. Worn properly, a legible name tag helps people remember your name and then quickly move on to exchanging information with you.

“A poorly located, illegible, or absent name tag can cause consternation, and even embarrassment. A name tag should make it easy for people to meet and greet you without having to gaze at body parts other than your face. Wearing your name tag correctly demonstrates your etiquette and networking savvy.”

Come find your solution to Emblema Nomenpenia (NTDS) at www.nametag.com! We have all possible solutions. From blank name tags to name badges to customized name tags with a logo, we truly are your one-stop shop for all things related to personal identification!

Impressions of a Name Tag; Stefan Hiller

In expansion on the topic of impressions of a name tag, many have been talking about whether or not it is important for those in service positions to identify themselves by wearing a name tag or name badge. Stefan Hiller, founder of Sky Touch; Global Hotel Security Consulting, has provided a security point of view on the topic.

“I think it is important that staff can clearly be distinguished from guests. While general staff in uniform is a big help, name tags completes identification and adds a personal touch,” Hiller states.

In Hiller’s article, titled No name tags; a forward or backward step?, he suggests that by not wearing a name tag in a service position lessens the quality of the customer/consumer experience. While his article is based in the hotel industry, many things that he discusses can also be looked at in any service position.

Name tags and name badges not only provide this personal touch, but they also provide that much needed personal identifier. By using personal identification, a hotel or any other retail establishment, gives a sense of security to not only the consumer, but also to the employee.

Hiller provides the following anecdote.

“Twenty years ago when I was an apprentice, I remember we were always told by the maître d’hôtel to wear our name tag for quality purposes. ‘Apprentice’ was written underneath my name. (While) we, the apprentices, gained our first experiences as service staff and were by no means fully trained yet, the name tag signaled that we were still a staff member in training, and in most cases guests had sympathy and excused little mistakes.

“From a marketing point of view, it reflected also that the hotel invested in young people, which certainly provided a positive image. Without the apprentice name tag, guests would not know if a staff member was still in training or not. Wearing our name tag protected us from high expectations of guests. Guests found it easier to use our name when having a conversation. It also helped us to identify ourselves with our new job.”

“Personally, I see no benefit in not using name tags,” states Hiller. “I have seen it produce unwanted guest frustration. Not using name tags lowers the quality of service and contributes to unwelcome risks.”

Name tags, name badges, lanyards and any other form of personal identification are much needed parts of any uniform. Make them part of yours today by visiting www.nametag.com.