What's In A Name Activity

🧠 Session Title: What’s In a Name? Everything.
Length: 30 minutes
Facilitator Goal: Help people understand the why behind name mistakes, give them tools to fix it, and model how to ask again with humility, humor, and care.
🛠️ Materials:
  • Sticky notes or notecards
  • A slide or whiteboard that shows:
    1. The 3 brain strategies for remembering names
    2. A few example phrases to ask someone to repeat their name
🗣️ FACILITATOR GUIDE
✅ 1. Set the Tone (3 min)
Say this:
“This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being present.
You don’t have to walk out of here knowing every name — but you do need to stop acting like names are optional.”
“We’re not here to quiz or embarrass anybody. We’re here to build awareness, and give your brain the tools to stop calling people ‘Hey you.’”
🪞 2. Name Reflection (5 min)
Prompt:
  • Has your name ever been mispronounced?
  • Has it ever been ignored?
  • What did that feel like?
  • And who finally got it right?
Participants can reflect silently or jot down their thoughts. No sharing required. Let it be personal.
🧠 3. Quick Teaching: Why the Brain Fumbles (5 min)
Say this:
“Your brain works like a meat computer. It sorts info into file cabinets — called schema.
When it hears a name it doesn’t recognize, it guesses — like when a toddler sees a cat and calls it a dog. It’s using the closest match it has.”
“But names aren’t categories. Names are people. And while the fumble might not be personal, how you handle it absolutely is.”
🎤 4. Model the Tool (2 min)
Tell your story:
“The first time I heard ‘Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir,’ I had no clue how to say it. I replayed it 80 times and still couldn’t get it.
So I wrote it out phonetically — VOO-LAY-VOO-COO-SHAY-AH-VAY-MWAH-SAY-SWAH.
That’s how I tricked my brain into getting it.”
Then say:
“That’s what name learning is. It’s not talent. It’s a cheat code.”
Show them these 3 strategies (on a slide or whiteboard):
🔁 The Brain Trick:
  1. If your brain doesn’t hold it when you hear it — write it down.
  2. If you don’t retain it when you see it — say it out loud.
  3. If it still doesn’t stick — make your own cheat code. (Rhythm, syllables, music — whatever helps it land.)
✍🏾 5. Name Challenge (8 min)
Say:
“Pick one name you want to get better at. Someone real. Someone you see in passing. Or someone whose name you’ve avoided because you didn’t want to mess it up.”
Walk them through:
  • Write it how it sounds
  • Say it out loud three times
  • Break it into parts
  • Associate it with a rhythm, lyric, or sound
Let them work silently. This is practice — not performance.
🧍 6. How to Ask Someone to Repeat Their Name (5 min)
Say this:
“Getting a name wrong happens. Leaving it wrong? That’s where the damage is.”
Then share these three ask-again options (on a slide or board):
✅ Ask Again Phrases:
  • Humble: “I want to make sure I say your name right — would you mind repeating it?”
  • Honest: “I heard it earlier but didn’t catch it fully. Can I double-check it with you?”
  • Human: “I’ve been saying your name in my head — I want to get it right out loud too.”
Ask:
“Which of these would you actually say? Or how would you rephrase one in your own voice?”
Encourage folks to write their go-to version down if it helps.
📝 7. Sticky Note Commitment (2 min)
Prompt:
“Write down one name you’re committing to get right — and the strategy or phrase you’ll use to do it.”
Let them keep it. Or post it anonymously if you want a wall of accountability.
🎯 8. Final Words (1 min)
Close with:
“You don’t need a perfect memory to say someone’s name right. You just need effort, humility, and a little practice.
Because what’s in a name? Everything.”

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