I’m in Chicago for the first part of the week exhibiting at the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) International Conference and Exposition. After a whirlwind first day, it’s safe to say the attendees are excited to see Baudville and all our cool stuff!
I wanted to share our message with those of you who aren’t able to travel to the Windy City this week and make a few – very affordable – product suggestions that you can implement right away.
The ASTD Conference is full of trainers (obviously), so they’re familiar with recognizing employees at the completion of a training session or for milestone achievements. We have great products for that - trainers make a lot of award certificates - but I really wanted to introduce some of our new signature products to attendees, too.
My recommendation for trainers is to give praise during the training rather than wait for the end of a training session to recognize. For instance, get a Cheers Kit in the theme of your choice. With over 15 options, you can pick the theme that best fits your material, organization or audience. Throughout the training, trainers should use any breaks to write a note on a Cheers Note. Then, you can present the note publicly in front of the whole class or have it waiting at the person’s seat when he returns.
Small expressions of recognition like this are extremely memorable. It will help the recipient to remember you, your training and the material. Plus, it’s fun! You’ll introduce a new atmosphere of levity to the training session and your reputation as a trainer.
We’ve designed all of our day-to-day recognition tools to include space for your handwritten note because we feel it is a vital element of effective recognition. It’s personal, memorable, and meaningful to the recipient. Start giving recognition regularly in your training or workplace and watch the transformation in attitudes and performances take place!
If you're interested in the ASTD Conference, follow the twitter stream under the hashtag #ASTD10. Attendees, speakers and exhibitors are sharing lots of great information there!
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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (officially, she's a Certified Recognition Professional, too) and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.
