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A warm, sincere compliment can make someone's day a lot brighter and a give a significant boost to self-confidence.
How does that work, the positive power of an expression of appreciation? Without appearing too clinical: the effect of a compliment is actually based on a chemical, biological issue. When you receive a compliment, your brain's reward center is activated and you produce dopamine. Because of the dopamine, you become mood and motivation boosted and you get a sense of happiness.
For an employer, this is an important fact. If you get a good compliment in the workplace, you will not only see it in your big smile, but also in a higher productivity. And on the other hand: if you get too little recognition and appreciation, you will be deficient in dopamine. You feel lonely, and may even develop feelings of depression. There is a good chance that you will then look for another job, where you will be seen. It is not without reason that lack of appreciation by the employer is mentioned as the reason for resigning. So every reason to regularly compliment your employees.
How do you give a good compliment?
Some compliments are appropriate for a confidential setting, and sometimes it's better to express appreciation in public. So choose the right time consciously. There is usually a difference between a compliment about personal characteristics or more business performance.
Do you know that someone always found it difficult to say “no”, speak another language, or take decisions, and has they overcome such a personal threshold? The recipient is usually not waiting for something so intimate to be highlighted in a large group. Instead, compliment him or her when you're having coffee together, during a performance review or a lunch walk.
Did your colleague do a great job or completed a great project? Then it is just appropriate to put them in the limelight openly. Make sure to check whether more people have been involved in the success. If so, everyone individually deserves a pat on the back, emphasising their personal contribution to performance.
A compliment is all the more valuable when you state very specifically why you are happy with someone. SuperFICIAL compliments, which might as well be given to a colleague or the neighbor, often miss the mark.
So make sure you compliment me with content. A compliment that is clearly not easy to pass between your nose and lips, but that you have really thought about. Think about why you're happy with your employee or colleague. Why does this employee stand out from the crowd? What is the added value of a particular commitment or character for you, other colleagues or the organisation? Do you see what effort it took the other person to achieve a certain result?
When a compliment is chosen and wrapped so carefully, the recipient really experiences it as a gift. The positive message lingers for a long time and gives a big shot of dopamine. So that makes someone happy!
Do you want to give a compliment to a manager, customer or business relation? Then choose the timing, tone and content extra carefully. The show of appreciation should not come across as bigotry, slime or, even worse, an attempt to get someone else to do something. As soon as a compliment feels like a 'what's in it for me? ' the other person will drop out, stop taking the compliment seriously and the relationship will cool down.
Therefore, choose a good, logical explanation for why you look positively at a certain performance or characteristic of the other person.
Speak sincerely, in your own words, and as much as possible from an equal position.
Link the other person's behavior or performance to what it has achieved in concrete terms. For example: you've learned from it, the organisation has added five new customers, you've helped colleagues, or improved the production process a lot.
Naming the effect not only gives your compliment extra content (see tip 2), it also provides a learning effect.
The recipient of your compliment may not have considered the special achievement or unique personal trait earlier. Now that its effect has become clear, he or she can think about a way to achieve such a positive result again, or to make extra use of a certain talent.
When it comes to the word “appreciation”, some people may also immediately think of paying out in real money.
From the above, it should be clear: a compliment is primarily about making the other person feel positive, knowing that efforts are seen and appreciated.
So the wallet really doesn't have to be pulled out immediately, assuming that the other employment conditions are already well arranged, of course.
However, in the event of a special performance or major event, an unexpected bouquet of flowers, a nice voucher or other gift (provided with a nice card with a personal message, of course) can definitely increase job satisfaction and strengthen the relationship. You don't have to throw it around with every compliment, but it's definitely worth not being too coy about this either.
Such a tangible pat on the back is an extra reinforcement of your compliment.
Also, start a complimentary company culture
Of course, one company has a warmer appearance than the other. Nevertheless, we are convinced that giving compliments belongs in every organisation. After all, we are all human beings who could use a pat on the back or a little bit of dopamine from time to time. Remember: a good example is good to follow. When you start handing out compliments and giving personal attention to your colleagues, more sheep will automatically come across the dam!
It can start with something small. Spontaneously place a compliment card on your colleague's keyboard (there are countless examples on Pinterest), get coffee for the whole team after a tough week of buffalo, or write a nice recommendation on the LinkedIn profile of someone in your network. Need more inspiration or tips? Feel free to contact us. After all, these kinds of questions give us a smile from ear to ear!
As an educational expert specialising in online learning, I have been writing blogs for Pluvo for 5 years. My focus is on powerful learning solutions for organisations. Universal Design for Learning and inclusive learning are my passion; I believe that education should be accessible and fun for everyone.
I've been combining my 35 years of HR experience with copywriting for over 15 years. And even then, I learn new things over and over again. That's what makes writing blogs for Pluvo so incredibly interesting!
