Continuous Feedback Helps People Learn How To Give Recognition

Giving meaningful and developmental feedback is one of the most effective tools to help people learn how to do things the right way.

And this applies to learning how to give Real Recognition™ the right way, too.

In this post, I will share some essential knowledge gleaned from research that will give you practical insights and principles to use feedback properly. I’ll share what the purpose of feedback should be, how timing plays a role, the effects of feedback and the responses to expect from learners.

Rarely are we taught how to give effective and meaningful feedback.

Take a deeper dive on how continuous feedback helps people learn how to give better recognition the right way. 

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How To Ask for Recognition That You’re Not Getting

Some of us have directors or managers who have never learned to give recognition to people when it is due. They can seem too task oriented. Others are more introverted and not used to expressing feelings.

Or, maybe you hear reports from employees who wonder what they can do to bring this topic of a lack of recognition up with their manager, but are afraid it might backfire if they do. Now they have gone for years without having their work properly acknowledged.

What can they do to highlight their work successes and finally get the recognition they deserve?

Turn the tables and learn how to ask for the recognition you’re not getting.

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Choose Your Words with Extra Care When Recognizing People

Giving people recognition is not hard to do. But recognizing those you meet and work with should not be treated so glibly that it is thoughtlessly done.

The words you use to verbally express your appreciation or use in your written or digital thank you notes, need to be done with care and consideration. Put more time into thinking about what you will say and realize the impact it will have on people.

Examine the following ideas closely to pick up on ways your vocabulary choice and phrasing of recognition could change.

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What Makes Giving Feedback So Difficult for Leaders?

Two magazines arrived on my desk within weeks of one another and both highlighted “feedback” on their cover articles. Then I received an email inviting me to attend an online presentation about moving from feedback to action. Looks like the topic of feedback was on my radar.

Some of us have a hard time giving feedback and even receiving feedback.

“Can I give you some feedback?” 

Do you cringe at that question? Or do you look forward to discussions following that question? You and I can react so differently depending on the source of the feedback, your current work and life status, and what exactly you are being critiqued about. 

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Don’t Offend People When They Just Recognized You

Watch out for how you react to people when they are thoughtful enough to express praise and recognition to you.

Their words or action are an acknowledgment of your positive actions, effort, or contribution you’ve made.

But too often recognition recipients unintentionally offend givers of recognition.

Watch what you say or do so that you don’t discourage people from giving you recognition again. (more…)

Learn To Receive Thanks and Recognition the Right Way

Employees, on average, are not recognized as frequently as they would like to be according to Gallup.

So when you’re being acknowledged for something, don’t negate the very recognition you do receive by giving some weak or negative comeback comment.

You’ve likely heard the following scenarios around you. You might even have fallen into the trap of doing them too.

Someone thanks you for great work you did earlier in the day.

“Thanks so much for the quick turnaround with getting ABC Company’s shipment out the door. I know the ABC general manager will be singing our praises tomorrow because of this.”

But you end up giving a weak reply like one of the following:

“That’s all right.”

 “Don’t mention it.”

“Not at all.”

“It was nothing.” (more…)

Is This the End of Awards at School?

I don’t know if you remember what your experience of award assemblies at school was like for you. I only know I never got an award when I was at mine.

Not that my academic skills and abilities merited an award.

I recently found my high school report card booklet from England that showed several years of my educational abilities. Most of my teachers seemed to use the same old comment over and over again, “Could do better.” Problem was, no one ever explained to me what “better” actually was.

Thank goodness I found myself when I was at university!

But what I do remember from my schooldays was seeing the typical kids who did well academically in class, marching across the stage receiving whatever accolades and acknowledgments for their accomplishments they’d earned that year.

Not too motivating for me. Hopefully it was for them. (more…)

How To Be Full of Compliments

Well, here it is again!

March 1st is World Compliment Day – a simple reminder on the calendar to encourage you and I to be more mindful of giving people compliments.

Mark Twain made the act of giving compliments famous when he said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”

Yet many of us need more than a calendar reminder or a quote from a writer and humorist to spur us on with compliment giving.

With so many great things going on and so many wonderful people to learn from, live and love, you would think we all would be full of compliments.

Seems this is not always the case though. So I am going to help you discover how you can be full of compliments to hand out as needed. (more…)

How To Make Social Recognition Work For You

Whenever you see something great happening on the job, besides thanking them directly face-to-face, you can also use a social recognition program to instantly acknowledge your staff online.

Social recognition programs are simply another tool in your toolbox to better practice giving recognition to your peers and employees. And they help spread the good news of all worthwhile actions happening to others in the workplace because everyone can use it.

But the success of social recognition programs has been shown to require three things: (1) executive expectations, (2) careful communication, and (3) unique understanding of the value of social recognition. (more…)