How To Teach Others To Help You Teach Recognition

It is hard to teach everyone how to give meaningful and effective recognition to one another, no matter the size of the organization you work for.

That’s why you need to enlist an army of people to aid you. 

Dictionary.com explains that the more helpers you have available to you then the task will be easier. The proverb “many hands make light work” was reportedly first recorded in English in the early 1300s in a knightly romance known as Sir Bevis of Hampton. However, John Heywood, a 16th century writer known for his plays, poems, and collection of proverbs, is most often attributed as the originator of this proverb. 

What can you do to teach other to help you teach people in your organization how to give amazing recognition to one another? 

Train-the-Trainer Approach 

Using a train-the-trainer approach is the most cost-effective method to train existing and new staff over the long term. 

Your job would be to design and deliver recognition specific learning curriculum to present to prospective trainers. By having more trainers on staff aware of employee recognition principles and practices, leaders in your organizations can request workshops as needed throughout the year.

How A Train-the-Trainer Program Works

You can either create your own learning curriculum or purchase a course curriculum delivered by an external provider. Third-party vendors provide a certified program allowing training professionals to present the employee recognition workshop only to employees from the licensed organization.

Depending on the length of the intended workshop session, the train-the-trainer session may last two or three days. It requires designated trainers to attend the complete daily sessions along with presenting sections of the workshop themselves. 

In that way, the new trainers of employee recognition will receive both practical experience in presenting along with feedback on their performance.

Potential recognition trainers act as learning participants on the first day of training to receive the half- or full-day session of the workshop training.  

Day two begins with a question-and-answer session, followed by a detailed review of important workshop content. The day concludes with facilitation strategies, coaching, and preparation to present a portion of the workshop. 

On day three, each participant presents a section of the workshop. Again, length of workshop will dictate whether you need a third day, which might alter how the second day looks.

Naturally, this requires committed individuals to act as trainers and available to deliver workshops on demand. And not everyone can drop their regular work schedule to deliver a recognition workshop.

Using Coaches as a Model 

An alternative model to getting help with teaching others to recognize employees is to use a coaching model. 

A team of coaches can answer questions and provide direct intervention en masse or upon individual requests for help. 

For example, a coach, or several coaches, can take on a team of managers who they will support in learning effective recognition skills. They can set up a two- or three-month time frame of weekly coaching connections of only 10 to 15 minutes of time.

Method of coaching can take on all kinds of approaches and different formats such as, 

• Emailing to reach out and provide tips and advice on recognition; 
• Emailing with explanation of a new recognition concept and an attached PDF learning guide on the principle shared;
• Creating and sending out a 3- to 5-minute video sharing and showing a recognition technique; 
• Phone call to ask if they have a specific question or need around recognition and answering their concern;

Coaches can also work directly with the senior leaders and directors who have one-on-one accountability reports with managers. Coaches can provide leaders with tips, tools, and ways to encourage recognition giving by managers. They can also provide simple concepts and principles to review with managers on each call. 

Enlisting a Team of Ambassadors

Not every organization has access to people they can train as trainers or a team of people who are already coaches or willing to be a coach.

It often leaves you with the grassroots employees and their strength of passion about the cause of employee recognition. That’s when you enlist the help of a team of ambassadors who will act as a resource to managers and teams who want to do an amazing job with giving recognition.

Try to get an ambassador from each department or at least work group location. Explain their responsibility is to encourage and support people with giving recognition and act as a representative for their area. They can assist managers with resources and show up to help at celebration events. They are your hands and feet for distributing nomination forms, helpful tip sheets, or being a liaison between leaders and you as the recognition leader.

And they will be fully recognition ambassadors, doing whatever they can to make recognition better wherever they work.  

These are three ways to stimulate ideas for enlisting help from others in teaching everyone to give real recognition.  

Recognition Reflection: How do you get help from others in your organization to teach people to give meaningful and effective recognition?

Roy is no longer writing new content for this site (he has retired!), but you can subscribe to Engage2Excel’s blog as Engage2Excel will be taking Roy’s place writing about similar topics on employee recognition and retention, leadership and strategy.