Recognition Tip

Effective Recognition Training & Consulting

Recognition Tip

February

And the winner is...

Some people make the mistake of trying to build suspense by announcing the winner at the end of a recognition speech.

Although this style works for entertainment award programs like the Grammys, the added drama doesn't work as well in business. The employees who do not win the award in your company have to show up for work in the morning, so maintaining their morale and self esteem is essential. Introducing the winner near the beginning of a presentation helps to minimize the other hopeful nominees' disappointment. One nominee shared her experience, "By the way the HR Director was describing the achievement and behaviors, I thought for sure that I had won the award. You can imagine how embarrassed I was when I started to stand as another person's name was announced."

A second reason why it is important to reveal the winner near the beginning is to maximize the recipient's experience. How much can someone really enjoy and absorb recognition if he or she is not sure if the presenter is talking about them? Instead of listening to the sincere words that build an emotional connection and enjoying a few glorious minutes of praise, we anxiously listen for our name to be announced. It's human nature.

And finally, one of the benefits of public recognition is that it helps create role models for other employees to follow. Announcing the winner and then describing his or her achievement in detail will help team members in the audience understand what exceptional performance looks like and what they need to do to receive recognition, too.

To maximize the recognition opportunity it is vital for the nominees, recipient, and audience to know who you are honoring early in your recognition presentation.

If you have a question that you would like to see answered in a monthly Recognition Tip, feel free to email ERC.