Vincent Ivan Phipps, M.A.
Contributing Writer
Communication VIP

Remember the last time you did something really well? You anticipated a huge compliment that was oozing with appreciation and all you received was a low key, “Thanks.”

How motivated did you feel about going out and doing it again?

How aware was the other person of the time, effort, and sacrifice put into it? Chances are, you felt unappreciated, and had little desire to do any more favors to that extent for the person again. But hey, they did thank you, right?

When we are on the receiving end of favors or efforts from others, we miss opportunities to make an investment in their people accounts by failing to acknowledge the importance of what they did or how they helped us.

Behavioral science tells us that almost 7 out of 10 people will thrive off of others giving them positive feedback. What would it mean to you if you could get 70{938cd9e8dae860e800efc538277d4f7684e6f6981618ba70d1c34357a53c2e1f} of the people around you to be motivated, energized, and looking for more ways to do things for you?

Follow these three steps to genuinely W.O.W others letting them know how much they are appreciated. This tool also takes the appreciation to a higher level because when this technique is used correctly, you get the other person to continue doing wonderful things for you without you having to ask them.

Here are the three steps:
Step One: Who
Say their name. The appreciation level increases by up to 38{938cd9e8dae860e800efc538277d4f7684e6f6981618ba70d1c34357a53c2e1f} when their name is used in a compliment.

Step Two: Objective
Be specific. Tell the person exactly what they did. Be clear appreciation so they know what they did.

Step Three: What
Tell them how what they did made a positive difference. This adds increased value to the compliment.

Plain compliments may take you one second to say, “thank you”. With that one-second investment of time to show appreciation, what do you get? The other person doesn’t know what you are thanking them for, they don’t know what to repeat, and you get zero credit for showing you know what they did.

A W.O.W. Compliment may take about 10 – 15 more seconds. Sure W.O.W. Compliments take a little longer but with that extra commitment of only a few seconds more, can get you more in return. The other person knows exactly what they did, they know exactly how what they did made a positive difference, and perhaps most importantly, they know precisely what to repeat!

Vanilla ice cream is good. Vanilla ice cream with fudge, nuts and sprinkles is even better. W.O.W. Compliments add the sprinkles and hot fudge and the nuts to make them even more enjoyable and more appreciated. Remember, people will continue doing the right thing when it is reinforced that the right things have rewards. Reward with W.O.W. Compliments and reap the rewards of repeated positive behavior!

Vincent Ivan Phipps, M.A., is owner of Communication VIP Training and Coaching. Convent is an author, coach, trainer and professional speaker. His expertise includes: Motivation, Leadership, Presentation Skill and Customer Service. www.NoUms.com, 423-485-3465