Why Name Badges are Vital in Networking

The scene described next will likely seem very familiar to you. After all, if you are reading this article, you probably already know that name badges are vital in networking. 

Name badges – a necessity in networking 

You have been invited to a networking meeting of an organization. Since you are a relatively new member, you don’t really know who’s who. Attending that meeting makes you feel as if you are attending your very first networking event. You decide to go anyway, but get caught in traffic, and arrive later than you thought. When you arrive, you realize that the parking instructions communicated to you were completely ineffectual. Anyway, fast forward 15-20 minutes, you are finally walking into the meeting.

Frazzled and embarrassed because of your tardiness, you take your place. Then you notice that nobody is sitting down but they have already started networking. The crowd is divided into small tight groups, making it even more difficult for you to insert yourself into them. And this isn’t even your first rodeo – you are a seasoned networker and yet you find the situation too much to handle.

Even so, you manage to engage a group of people. While conversing with them, you notice that some of them have helpfully worn name badges to the meeting. This makes it much easier for you to identify them, remember their names, and network with them. On the other hand, the others who showed up without the badges are harder to talk to. Even after you have made them repeat their names, it is difficult for you to remember them all. 

The badges act like memory prompts every time you talk to a person wearing them. If you have conversed with them before, the name badges assist your brain in revisiting that conversation. Another helpful thing that happens is that due to the badges, you can easily pick out the people in the same line of business as you are. It also helps you find the key players of the meeting.

Name badges – the right way of using them

Name badges are only effective in networking, if they are used in the right way. Look at the following tips to learn how to make the most of this networking aid:

• Don’t think of a name badge as just an introduction. It is a way for people stand out even in a crowd. For that to happen, the name badge shouldn’t be crammed with a lot of text. For starters, much of the text won’t even be visible from a distance. The most important parts, i.e. the name and the profession of the person wearing it, should be clear to an observer. This will prevent your brain from creating a name out of thin air when you meet a person again. Their name could be Harry, but if you have forgotten it, your brain could insist it is Barry, Gary, or even Kelly! 
  
  
• As mentioned before, the font used for printing on the name badge should be large and clear. Often we need to express more than just what our name is and what we do. So, if you want to display pertinent information on a name badge, avoid doing so in smaller font. Instead, print it out a larger badge.
  
  
• Finally, the badges should be ready when the first delegate arrives at the networking meeting. If they arrive late, then they won’t be as effective. Ask the person in charge of supplying them to make sure they are in alphabetical order, as well. This makes it much easier to distribute them.

Age-related memory loss and dwindling attention spans may make name badges necessary and vital n business networking. However, as evident, there are other advantages to people wearing those badges. Why not make the most of them and form newer connections wherever you are in a business setting?