Acknowledgement in Speech and in Meetings
We all like to be acknowledged for the work we do; for the effort we put into something; and sometimes just for the sake of being human. We all have challenges to overcome. And this is true for both speech makers and meeting takers.
So how does one give kudos to another, in an environment where most all of the focus is on you, and not the other person to be recognized?
With precise humility. Precise humility? Yes, precise humility. Look, being humble can sometimes be a bit of a fiasco; some days you think you're being humble, but others around you think you're just doing it to take on the appearance, but not the reality, of humility. On other days, you're giving out kudos left and right and the very people you're trying to recognize just aren't buying it. Sometimes, despite all your efforts of being a good person, people are ready to accept another's offerin of humility or of recognition.
So in a meeting (or on stage), you have to be very clear about why you're passing on a recognition and it has to be related to the topic at hand. You have to satisfy both conditions. You can't just say "Let's give a hand to Barbara for having the most sales revenue" in a meeting that is about user interface design. It's incongruent. If you're in a sales meeting, you're going to need have a good 'why' to attach to that. It's great that Barbara is meeting her numbers, even beating out the others on her team. But what in particular makes Barbara special in this context? Was there a contest among the teams? Did she have a special technique that you'd like her to share with the rest of the group?
To really be successful in giving acknowledgement, you have to satisfy the expectations of the the audience. Out of the blue can seem nice, but it can create dissonance in the crowd/meeting attendees. It may even cause hurt feelings, unintentionally. It may look like sucking up, especially if the person your acknowledging is your superior in the organization.
But if in a meeting, everyone expects some sort of recognition for someone because of some prior notion that's been established, you're safe to give legions of kudos, and the entire audience will be buoyed by the gratitude you offer to the one person. Because gratitude revealed is gratitude shared.
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