Making The Most Of Compliments

Have you been receiving too many compliments lately? Probably not. Have you been giving too many compliments? I doubt that scenario also. Compliments are just a set of words that provide helpful information to motivate behavior. Research suggests that this kind of human word-processing on an emotional level increases our endorphins, the "feel-good" chemical in the brain of both giver and receiver. But we don't need brain research to tell us that altruism or genuine helpfulness, even in the simple form of compliments, just feels pretty darn good. So why do we hold back on giving compliments and seem to have difficulty receiving them at times? The short answer is faulty thinking and fear. But rather than go into the dynamics of fear, which is indeed a powerful motivator of human behavior, let's just "feel the fear" and think differently anyway. We'll focus on some common-sense tips for giving compliments in the workplace and receiving them fearlessly.

Let's consider some of the main reasons for giving sincere, effective compliments in the workplace:

• To help assure that a job well-done will be noticed and continued
• So the giver will stand out and be remembered (such as in a job interview)
• So the receiver may develop the confidence needed to fine-tune a skill

New supervisors often think that just saying "thank you" to an employee is enough. A genuine and effective compliment addresses individual behavior, specific competence, or contributions. Below are some examples of general compliments and ways you can personalize them:

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