The research project

Studies have shown that a sense of community and cohesion within a group is essential for fostering a positive and supportive environment. Most of the published research discusses educational settings In educational settings, building and sustaining relationships among students and name interactions between staff and students is crucial for a successful learning environment. One way to enhance this sense of community is by correctly pronouncing each student's name, it shows respect and acknowledgement of their identity. There seems to be little available research that addresses interactions around name pronunciation in the workforce.

Why Imperial?

Imperial is a global community of staff and students. To support the university's global ambitions and values the Say My Name at Imperial project aims to raise awareness of the issues around everyday name interactions in a HE setting. Including staff within the scope of the project will help address gaps in the published research.

References

Aninakwa, J. (2022, April 4). The Importance of Name Pronunciation. Inclusive Employers. https://www.inclusiveemployers.co.uk/blog/understanding-the-importance-of-name-pronunciation/

Bagar-Fraley, B. (2016). Foster Inclusion by Focusing on Student Names. FUSE (Franklin University Scholarly Exchange). https://fuse.franklin.edu/i4blog/79/

Barr, S. (2023, May 10). Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu refuses to continue with chat until name said correctly. Metro. https://metro.co.uk/2023/05/10/dr-shola-mos-shogbamimu-refuses-to-carry-on-chat-until-name-said-right-18761054/?ico=read_full_story_videopage

Bryan, J. (2021a, December 1). Say my name: the importance of correct terms, titles and pronunciation. THE Campus Learn, Share, Connect. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/say-my-name-importance-correct-terms-titles-and-pronunciation

Bryan, J. (2021b, December 13). “Say my name” . Advance HE. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-views/say-my-name

Community Values Education Programme. (n.d.). Research - Say My Name - Warwick. Warwick University. https://warwick.ac.uk/services/dean-of-students-office/community-values-education/saymyname/research/

Dali, S., Atasuntseva, A., Shankar, M., Ayeroff, E., Holmes, M., Johnson, C., Terkawi, A. S., Beadle, B., Chang, J., Boyd, K., & Dunn, T. (2022). Say My Name: Understanding the Power of Names, Correct Pronunciation, and Personal Narratives. MedEdPORTAL, 18. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11284

Gurchiek, K. (2021, October 20). Want to Be Inclusive? Learn How to Pronounce Other People’s Names. SHRM; Society for Human Resource Management. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/want-to-be-inclusive-learn-how-to-pronounce-other-peoples-names-.aspx

Kohli, R., & Solórzano, D. G. (2012). Teachers, please learn our names!: racial microagressions and the K-12 classroom. Race Ethnicity and Education, 15(4), 441–462. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2012.674026

Milosavljevic Ardeljan, J. (2022, September 11). It’s Pronounced Yoh-VAH-Na. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2022/09/12/we-should-correctly-pronounce-colleagues-and-students-names-opinion

Obiwole, T. (n.d.). Your name is your crown, so wear it | Toluwanimi Obiwole. Www.youtube.com; TedX Talks. https://youtu.be/lo863ePY86Y

Rice, P. C. (2017, November 15). Pronouncing Students’ Names Correctly Should Be a Big Deal. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-pronouncing-students-names-correctly-should-be-a-big-deal/2017/11

Sullivan, K. J. (n.d.). Hear the name, say it correctly. Stanford News. Retrieved May 2023, from https://news.stanford.edu/2016/08/25/hear-name-say-correctly/

Torjesen, I. (2022). How do I deal with a colleague who keeps pronouncing my name incorrectly? BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o1272BMJ 2022;377:o1272

Tulshyan, R. (2020, January 9). If You Don’t Know How to Say Someone’s Name, Just Ask. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/01/if-you-dont-know-how-to-say-someones-name-just-ask

University Business. (2018, September 17). CSUN promotes equity with recorded name pronunciations. University Business. https://universitybusiness.com/csun-promotes-equity-with-recorded-name-pronunciations/