Ready! Steady! Hello! |24 September 2010

The NCC has sent the following message to explain the campaign:

Saying “hello” or “good morning” makes people feel personally welcomed and acknowledged.

A “hi with a smile” is more than just a recognition of the person's presence, it can help build a relationship between two people and lays the foundation for a more relaxing and friendlier atmosphere.

Often it's only those who say “hi” who get a greeting in response, and this can start new friendships and build on existing ones. Encouraging people to take the time to say hello is a simple concept, but it is surprising how effective and how infectious this can get.

“Hello” is the first greeting that helps us start a verbal interaction with a person who is new to us. After we have greeted someone, we get an excellent opportunity to use (and learn) a person's real name.

Saying: “Good morning, Anne” conveys a significantly more intimate greeting than simply: “Good morning”.

So we use “hello” to welcome – to greet – to break the ice – to reach out with a smile. “Saying hi with a smile” will give us Seychellois the opportunity to improve our country’s image in terms of the welcome we give to foreigners and help us build the Seychelles Brand, the Seychellois Connection.

We say “bonjour” to people on the streets of Victoria, at the airport, everywhere and encourage businesses to welcome and serve with a smile. The different ways of saying “hello” also help us understand the kind of relationship that the person wants with us, a formal one or a friendly one.

The NCC and the Ministry of Education are urging everyone to say “hello!” and become  part of the movement to bring the human touch into everything we do and make a difference to someone else’s day.
 
Greet them with a smile,  a wave, a handshake, a flash with your car lights or any other appropriate greeting in any language that you are familiar with: Hello! Bonzour! Namaste! Hola! Hi! Yo! Chao! Kaixo! Ei je! Draveite! Ni Hao!

Help revive the Seychellois tradition where everyone greeted each other, whether it was someone known or a stranger.