You Asked: How to Avoid Annoying Nicknames?

 
Today's question was posted by stnipper, who wrote:  My coworkers have shortened my name to Steph instead of Stephanie. Normally, I would care less. Except now my patients, students and other professional contacts are addressing me as Steph. How should I approach the correction?

You own your name, stnipper. In this day and age, it's your brand. So don't be ambiguous about it. If you want people to call you Stephanie or Dr. Stephanie—or Fred, for that matter—then the first time they mis-address you, correct them politely.


You can do this with humor ("Steph was my mother"), or frostily, if you feel your students are getting out of line. Or somewhere in between. (Always safe: "I prefer Stephanie.")

But don't send mixed signals, by saying sometimes you couldn't care less. You care. So take control.

 

Do you have a different strategy for avoiding annoying nicknames? Please share. 

 

(image: Jeff Lowe, courtesy of flickr)