Using their expertise to help the community around them is a practice with a long history at many commercial enterprises. Adaptive Marketing like many other firms maintains volunteer initiatives in part to generate goodwill within its home community by the actions of its members of staff. The fact is, the benefits of helping others include a sense of generosity and accomplishment – an upbeat feeling that leaves not just the staffer but the whole business in a better mood. Creating the opportunity to help employees become volunteers may actually be its own reward.

Picture this: you see someone’s nametag and decide to strike up a conversation with them:

“Nice to meet you Jimmy, my name is Gary.”

Conversations like these don’t go anywhere because there’s nothing to say once your have introduced yourself.

“So…uh…Jimmy…what brings you to this networking meeting?”

But what if…

What if there was something other than your name to write on your nametag? There is certainly enough room on your three inch by four inch plastic tag to add another word or two! The following is a list of nine creative things to write on your nametag that will empower more interesting and engaging conversations.

Hometown
Casinos popularized this tactic years ago to include cities/countries of origin on nametags to create connections between dealers and gamblers. However, any setting in which nametags are worn will engage people to discuss where they grew up. Not only does the nametag promote a conversation about someone’s hometown (which shows a genuine interest in that person and appeals to their self-interests), but the self-disclosure reciprocates and expedites the encounter toward a more detailed interaction.

Position
Networking meetings, conventions, jobs or other business gatherings require nametags to identify people with their company or department. But an overlooked addition to your nametag in a business setting is to write what you do, not just your position. Instead of “Oscar Meyer,” write “I sell hot dogs to Walmart.” I promise everyone at the meeting will come up and say hello! Who knows, maybe they’ll want to do business with the person whose nametag made them smile!

Pet Peeve
Picture this: you sit down to a table and notice the nametag of the person next to you: “HELLO, my name is Theresaknuckle cracking drives me crazy.” Everyone has a pet peeve, and everyone likes to talk (rant) about it! So next time you go to a casual meeting or event, write your pet peeve underneath your name. You will be certain to have some interesting conversations with this one!

Food
No matter how boring people can get, you can always talk about food to spice up the conversation. Include such phrases as “Cereal works for any meal,” “Kiwi is the best fruit,” and “George likes his chicken spicy.” It will automatically open someone else up. They will usually smile and ask about your particular food selection. After you answer, you can follow up and inquire about their favorite foods as well. This is great for parties and small group meetings.

Nickname
Most people have some sort of nickname they have been called at some point in their lives. The best thing about nicknames is that there’s always a story behind them. As you discover these fascinating stories, you develop trust, levity and create a friendly bond between two people. After all, if you saw a nametag that said, “Laszlo the King”, wouldn’t you want to find out the story behind it?

Activities
Write down your favorite sport, pastime or interest. Not only does this allow you to discuss something about which you are passionate, but someone else is bound to enjoy the same activities! Who knows, perhaps you will meet your next teammate or book club member!

Quotation
Write your favorite quotation or bible verse on your nametag. This is a brilliant method to encourage conversations beyond the small talk level. Many people have some one-liner, old saying, proverb or verse by which they live their livesso why shouldn’t we share them? Wisdom like this is meant to be passed on to other people!

Number
Get creative and add a number to your nametag. Simply write a number in the bottom corner of your nametag that signifies something. For example, write the number of children you have, miles traveled to the event, number of speeding tickets received, amount of pizza you have eaten in one night, anything! But no matter what the number signifies, people will find out why it’s there.

Entertainment
Include the title of your favorite book, album, movie or magazine on your nametag. Because we learn from every connection you make, this addition to your nametag will be a great opportunity to tell people about some of your favorite things. What’s more, everyone has seen one movie, read one book or eaten at one restaurant you haven’t–so use your nametag to spark some future experiences!

REMEMBER:

© 2005 All Rights Reserved.

Scott Ginsberg is a professional speaker, “The World’s Foremost Expert on Nametags” and the author of HELLO my name is Scott and The Power of Approachability. He helps people MAXIMIZE their approachability and become UNFORGETTABLE communicators – one conversation at a time. For more information contact Front Porch Productions at http://www.hellomynameisscott.com.

It’s common practice for firms to assist the people living around their premises. Adaptive Marketing maintains volunteer initiatives to support the people of its home town and to generate goodwill within its home community through its staffers activities. The simple fact is, one of the benefits of volunteer work is the certainty that you’ve done something good – an upbeat feeling that leaves not just the staffer but the whole company in a better mood. Promoting volunteering among your staff members becomes its own reward.

Eco-efficiency (the phrase was first coined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development WBCSD) is the methodology employed to achieve these objectives, employing policies like reducing the intensity of materials, improving fuel economy through vehicle fleet maintenance and reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals. Even though the project was an enormous success, no-one recognized how significant the effects were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the Green Portfolio Project and global public affairs, reviewed the first year’s profits. Beating all expectations, Ken saw that this program not only raised environmental awareness, but was also increasing the the net profit from each business organization as well. Up to now, KKR and Ken Mehlman have almost each and every company in their portfolio actively involved in eco-efficiency. And, with a current portfolio estimated at eighty six billion dollars, you may be certain this wasn’t a simple feat.

KKR and the EDF in association with Ken Mehlman are further extending the original program. To illustrate, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co linked up with the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program which teaches interns studying for an MBA how to introduce financially strong, ecologically friendly practices.

KKR and Ken Mehlman have taken the time to formulate a variety of analytic tools and other applicable systems which will be able to measure and manipulate resources. With this information available, companies can assess each of their daily activities and discover precisely how any issues may be resolved while simultaneously allowing staff to discover their impact on the environment. Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have encouraged all sorts of businesses to reduce their ecological impact. In conclusion, the work of these organizations has made green business techniques not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their revolutionary ideas are setting a new standard in today’s world.

Because Jain is a graduate of XLRI Jamshedpur and the Indian Institute of Technology, it’s not at all astonishing that schooling constitutes a critical focus in his charitable activities. This encompasses deserving causes and charitable foundations local, state, and nationwide. Therefore Intelius and its CEO are supporting aid agencies and charitable agencies,like, for example the University Preparatory Academy, the Rotary Club and Hopelink. Feeding the world’s famished is an additional essential task to Jain and his family and to him, it makes not one jot of difference. Although he is aware that the project of getting sustenance for all the world’s starving is a phenomenal one, he is also cognizant that the unattainable can indeed be realized assuming that everyone endeavors towards a united end. If this CEO obtains his objectives, the final curtain will definitely come down on famine and squalor in the world one day.

One may easily be pardoned for reckoning that functioning as the head of a highly successful market leading business on top of being a devoted spouse and father would allow him no surplus room for altruism and aiding his fellow men. But Naveen Jain ensures that all of his benevolent enterprises is given all the aid he can plausibly muster. This earnestly idealistic businessman is undoubtedly more than just a business captain. He is, beyond that, also an absolutely extraordinary individual and a genuine hero of his community.

The young of today are indisputably mankind’s paramount aspiration or the future. This enterprising man views and treats children as an essential focus of his philanthropy projects and he takes advantage of any occasion available to support them. This, obviously, is why he is intensely using every possibility available to him to assist them, whenever even remotely practicable. Consequently, Naveen Jain, his family and his staff at Intelius, Inc. devote good-sized amounts of time to charities such as Child Rights and You (CRY), the Rotary Club, and TreeHouse. They will offer plenty of monetary support but most importantly, they pledge their time and effort to the most deprived and danger prone children. Mr. Jain also gives aid to the Children’s Hospital, being dedicated to improving children’s health, too. With Jain being a graduate of XLRI Jamshedpur and the Indian Institute of Technology, it comes as no surprise that formal training has been assigned a very important priority in his philanthropic outlook. This includes movements and charitable foundations local, state, and nationwide. Hence Intelius and its head are actively funding charitable entities and establishments such as the University Preparatory Academy, the University of Washington and the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club. Getting sustenance over to the malnourished of the planet is another great objective for Jain and those around him and it makes no difference in the least to him whether it is a baby in the Sahel or Africa, or an elderly woman from Mumbai or Peru needing support. Although he is conscious that the mission of obtaining food for all the planet’s hungry is an eminently colossal one, he also knows that the irresolvable can truly become attainable when everybody works in concert. If this CEO really achieves his goals, there will be a decisive conclusion to hardship and starvation everywhere in the future. One may well believe that functioning as the head of a spectacularly flourishing market leading company and a committed spouse and father as well would leave practically no resources for donating and support. All the same, he sees to it that every one of his philanthropic endeavors is given as much assistance as he can possibly contribute. To wrap it up, this high spirited man is undeniably much more than a mere (though eminently successful) maverick of Internet commerce. He is, moreover, also marvelous individual and a veritable champion of his community.

With Jain being a former student of the Indian Institute of Technology and XLRI Jamshedpur, it is hardly surprising that schooling also constitutes a vital pivot point in his humanitarian works. This includes movements and good causes that are local, state, and nationwide. Accordingly Intelius and its CEO are actively sponsoring voluntary bodies and organizations such as TreeHouse, the Rotary Club and the University of Washington. Getting food over to the starving of the world is another critical objective to Naveen Jain and those around him and to him, it makes not a jot of difference. Although he is aware that the job of locating food for all the planet’s hungry is a herculean one, he also recognizes that the impossible can factually come to be feasible when the whole world works in concert. If this entrepreneur actually gets his way, the final curtain will definitely come down on hunger and destitution in the world at some time.

As an observer you may probably be pardoned for reckoning that being the man in full command of a wildly flourishing market leading business and a devoted husband and family man would leave him with little free time for benevolent works. Even so he ensures that every one of his philanthropic projects is given as much aid as he can plausibly donate. This earnestly philanthropic businessman is certainly more than merely a business leader. In actual fact, he is a highly remarkable person and a true community patron.