In the psychological field, Maslow’s pioneering research into motivation demonstrated that every human being is motivated to varying degrees by a series of physiological, safety, security and belonging needs.
One of the many lessons I learned as a psychologist working with youth having severe emotional and learning disabilities was the importance of assessing the client’s needs. After many years of experience I learned that when behaviour is reinforced it is repeated. As a Special Educator, I viewed child and youth behaviour as a desire to have unmet needs recognized and addressed. By determining, then addressing and meeting the client’s needs, I observed an immediate de-escalation of the undesirable behaviour in the treatment setting. By focusing on a Strength Based Intervention Framework, our team believed in “letting the people be different” and we worked carefully at celebrating and nurturing the strengths of all clients and therapy team members.
As part of an interdisciplinary team of professionals, I recognized the importance of a positive atmosphere and I realized there are many key understandings about the concept of Motivation that could be transferable to any business environment and would contribute toward the building of positive energy and an enabling environment for all stakeholders.
Why is it that some environments promote learning and growth, while others hinder it?
I believe there are lessons to be learned by entrepreneurs from psychological research studies involving the topic of Motivation. Many studies have shown that students’ feelings of being connected and cared for by their teachers correlate with academic achievement and elevate their sense of worth and these are important factors for increasing motivation and success.
How could Motivation and a Sense of Worth be fostered in your business environment and social interactions?
Even today, there is a mistaken belief that praise will automatically build self- esteem, and many educators, parents and business managers are guilty of not understanding the implications and differences between the concepts of “Praise” and “Encouragement”.
While many people think of praise and encouragement as being the same, I predict there is a valuable interpersonal and business lesson to be learned when there is an understanding and appreciation of the differences between these two concepts. Even though praise works, hopefully I will guide you into recognizing that encouragement works better in a variety of business and life situations.
Praise is a judgment, while encouragement is acknowledgement. Praise uses language that judges, encouragement uses language that notices. Praise is given when the person is successful [“You met the sales quota, I am proud of you !”], while encouragement can be given even when the person is experiencing frustration .[“I noticed you have been working hard on that challenging report, keep it up !”]
Praise and encouragement foster different reactions from the intended recipients. Praise promotes competition by comparing one performance with another, it focuses on the quality of the performance and ignores the efforts or motives. Praise fosters the dependence upon the opinions of others.
Encouragement fosters cooperation and collaboration and focuses on the individual’s effort and progress. The person feels valued rather than evaluated. Encouragement recognizes the individual’s contribution to the common good of the organization. It promotes effort and enables the individual to accept setbacks and mistakes, allowing for more independence and motivation. Encouragement realizes that any learning is a process and improvement is always a possibility. In business and in all aspects of life, anyone can criticize. The art of Encouraging requires people who are sensitive, compassionate and creative.
How will you apply these key understandings to your business and personal interactions?
Learn more about the author, Dr. Brenda E. Abbey.
Dr. Brenda,
You must have spent a lot of time on the article as it is so rich in content. I like the contrast between praise and encouragment. I have always known that encouragment is better but now I know why and will be able to encourage more and praise less. My effectiveness will be improved since you shared your knowledge with me. Thank you!
Jim Rooney
Hi Jim,
Thank you for your comments and recognition of the article's helpfulness. I value that you realized the amount of time and research needed before publishing on this topic.I am passionate about my work in Applied Research . I plan to continue publishing more on the topic as I believe there is much to contribute to the research base of Motivation and Emotional Intelligence.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brenda E. Abbey
Loved it. So important and will be applied to my many roles: Mom, Biz Owner, wife, etc. Thank you.
Thanks for this article. I am working toward retirement by mentoring my team members and your distinction between praise and encouragement will help me with my goals!
Dr. Brenda,
Thank you so much! This article has been most helpful, someone had asked me about motivation of which I know only a little.
I appreciate the time it took you to both research and write this article and post it for us all.
I too have realized the difference between praise and encouragement. I really have to say, one feels better then the other does.
Praise is just one saying you did good in THEIR opinion. The other is raising your spirits when you are trying your best.
Thank you again, I look forward to more to come from you.
Sincerely,
~Gaylena
Dr. Brenda -
Thank you so much for sharing your hard work.
I am now encouraged to take the time to evaluate the way I communicate in my personal and business life. I really appreciate it!
Sincerely,
Fabian
Dr. Brenda. Great article. Interesting concept pointing out the difference between praise and encouragement. Encouragement acts as a motivator, makes someone feel good about themselves, is indicative of appreciation on the part of the encourager and can be used even in a situation with a negative outcome. Mentors mentor by encouraging. I have a question for you. What would you call it if your boss gives you praise for the effort you put into a project that didn't have the desired results? Is that then called encouragement or would you call it praise with encouragement? I just love applying the concept of psychology to the business world because it does belong there; however, unfortunately, it is often not given the attention it deserves. Most business owners are more concerned about the bottom line than how their employees are feeling. It is a shame because if they were concerned, they would find that "encouraged" employees tend to be more productive than those who are not "encouraged". Wasn’t this the reason behind changing the name from "personnel" to "HUMAN resources in the business world?"
Dr. Brenda: Thank you for breaking this down. As a wedding minister I have found that encouragement goes a long way in helping couples reinforce thier commitment to make thier marriage work. God Bless, Rev. Bob Williamson
This topic has had a wide readership and a great following through Biznik . I am thankful for the encouraging comments that have been received. I am just completing another article and it will be published via Biznik shortly. Its title is : Using Encouragement Effectively : Implications for Coaching. It will introduce neuroscience research and discuss ingredients of Effective Encouragement and how Encouragement can affect our social brain. Dr. Brenda E. Abbey
You can read my new article: Using Encouragement Effectively - Implications for Coaching by visiting my Biznik website - go to articles section . I would welcome your comments. Thanks , Dr. Brenda E. Abbey
In my private practice , I am continuing to research and learn about the importance of self- esteem as a pre- requisite to continued positive learning and achievement for children. Since I believe that parents are so significant in their children's learning journey , I have suggested another article I wrote called Strengthening Personal Capacity. On this Biznik page sidebar of RELATED ARTICLES -there is a link to this and other articles that I have written . A goal of mine ,as a Cognitive Psychologist , has always been to share Applied Research and to find practical ways of implementing Learning THEORY into PRACTISE in a variety of settings for children and adults!!
Dr. Brenda E. Abbey
Although I wrote this article 3 years ago , it still is applicable to a variety of situations and age groups. I have shared this article with many parents in my private educational consultant practice because it is very helpful when dealing with children. Encouragement has such a strong positive influence on children who are struggling with learning or dealing with attentional differences that impact their behaviour choices at home and school. Encouragement will support any child's development of self awareness of their own strengths. All too often children with ADD /ADHD get many negative messages about themselves whether or not that is the parents' or teacher's intention. By parents and teachers focusing on and recognizing/ encouraging the desired behaviours , the child 's self esteem is enhanced, and those positive behaviours have a greater likelihood of being repeated. For your interest; There are links to other articles that I have written on the right side of the article above.
Dr. Brenda E. Abbey
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