What’s in a name?

There’s a guy in the office who keeps calling David Dave. I think he sometimes calls him Chuck.

I’ve never seen David boil over but I’m hoping this could be the trigger.

Meanwhile, people at work have started calling me Pip. Only my Dad calls me Pip, but I let it go.

My school friend Richard, now a successful banker, we still call Weeny. Poor guy, he used to be small.

You’ve got to tread carefully. I once got the hairdryer treatment from a detective superintendent who I refused to call “Sir”. I think my persistently calling him “Mate” was what really riled him though.

It pays to get these things right. Anyone got any horror stories?

 

Published 30 January 2007 14:37 by Phil Turner

Filed under: Internal comms

Comments

• 

  Bruno Soares said:

  My neice and nephew keep calling me Uncle Bu:-(
  January 31, 2007 10:36
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  Laura Green said:

  I've managed my whole life with 'Lou' and 'Laurel' as my only nicknames. They were names my Dad came up with and they never caught on (not really surprising as no link to 'Laura'). In the last two years 'Lau' and 'Greenie' have come from nowhere and caught on like wildfire. What makes a nickname popular? And why is it always the awful ones that stick!
  February 7, 2007 14:38
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  Phil said:

  It could be worse Greenie. My mate Mark is universally known as The Wookie. I also get tagged with Phyllis and Philomena, which are girls' names.
  February 10, 2007 10:59
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  Olivia Lawson said:

  Most people I know call me Liv..which is fine, as long as its not my parents. But I always introduce myself as Olivia so people don't get confused and start calling me Liz - worse.  Guess its an improvement from Livers from when I was 8!?!
  February 12, 2007 14:54
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  David Ferrabee said:

  I've got no trouble with Dave.  It's a cultural thing though, like Liv says.  It's good to start formal and work down.  As a Canadian I react in fear to the business cards I always used to get from my American colleagues that would say; Thirsten Howell III (aka "Bucky").
  
  I had a girlfriend who's dad used to like to be called Butch.
  
  Why?
  
  The other common nick name use though is parts of South East Asia where you'll get cards that say: Ling Huang Tu (Benny).  Which I don't seem to have too much trouble with.
  
  Must be me.
  
  /df
  February 21, 2007 18:31
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  Change & Internal Communications said:

  We're working with a brilliant global manufacturing client to review their communications now.
  One...
  February 23, 2007 11:26