Page 66 - Perfect Phrases for Motivating and Rewarding

■ Involve people in the big picture. The more information you
share, the easier it is for everyone to succeed at their part of
the whole.
■ Do not use jargon with anyone who is new to the industry or
not in your industry. Encourage employees to do the same.
■ Actively seek feedback on your own performance. Liberally use
the phrase “Tell me more.” Ask for clarification on points that
seem unclear or unfounded. Carefully evaluate the accuracy
and potential value of what you hear.

Motivational Phrases

■ “Our internal deadline is February 24 to allow us time to
incorporate input from other departments and have a final
review. Our goal is to send out the completed package by
March 8.”
■ “We get so used to using these words every day that we
forget which are jargon. I heard you telling a customer about
[jargon phrase] and want to remind you that customers may
feel intimidated by terms they don’t know. What would be a
customer-friendly way to say that?”
■ “What problems are you having with the new
(computer, checkout, registration, inventory . . .) system? How
do you think we can address them?”
■ “How can we revise signage to clarify directions and limit
travelers’ frustration?”
■ “I’ll be on vacation next week, so if you want my input, please
get to me by Thursday.”
■ “I don’t want to waste your time. Why not give me a brief
outline or summary before you dive into writing that report.”
■ “I had no idea how that additional responsibility would impact
your current workload. Let’s review some options. First, what
would you suggest?”
■ “I apologize for transposing that phone number. You must
have been going crazy.”

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