Effective Praise
Everyone likes to be praised for their efforts. Praise given in a personalized and meaningful way is a powerful motivator. It doesn’t take a lot of time to “administer” the praise, but it does take some thought and some practice to turn an “atta girl” or “atta boy” into an effective tool.
The elements of effective praise
Personalized: Delivered in a way that is appreciated by the person receiving it.
Meaningful: Specifically describes how the performance was outstanding.
Recognize effort and strategy: Elaborate on the effort and strategy taken to succeed.
Timely: Given soon after the performance occurs.
Personalized Determine how the person likes to receive praise - not how you like to give it. For example, someone may love, or hate being praised in front of others, perhaps at a department meeting. Some people need a simple “Thanks, I noticed your hard work.” Others might better appreciate a card or certificate to recognize their contributions. Think about how to deliver your praise before you do it.
Meaningful Describe the performance with specifics. This indicates you did notice!
Typical: Chris, you did a good job on the summary report to the executive committee. I appreciate your hard work.
Better: Chris, you did a great job on the summary report to the executive committee. The graphics were effective, easy to read and emphasized the need for additional equipment. I appreciate the work it must have taken to put the data in graph form. I also overheard one committee member say he was impressed with the layout and there were no errors (He is always on the lookout for typos). Thank you for making us look good!
Praise Strategy and Effort Praise that recognizes the effort it took to complete the task and the thoughtfulness that went into the solutions is the most meaningful to the person.
There are times when the performance or action isn’t difficult but what is impressive is that the person knows this small or easy action is important. For example, keeping a reception area tidy at all times isn’t difficult but doing it day-in and day-out without being asked to do it is worth a word of appreciation.
Timely You have one or two days at most to recognized performance worthy of praise. Beyond this timeframe it can feel like an afterthought to the person receiving the praise.
Finally, offer praise only when there’s a valid reason.
Praise outstanding effort, exceptional performance and caring that goes above and beyond. Praise for expected performance such as showing up for work on time lessens the value of the praise.
And take care when praising a poor performer’s improved but still mediocre performance. You can say “I noticed and keep up the good effort.”