The Praise paradox
How Recognition Fuels Results
Takeaways
EXPLORE
Reflect and uncover the beliefs, patterns, and blind spots that limit recognition.
- Learn the science of praise — understand the neuroscience behind how recognition boosts engagement, retention, and performance.
- Overcome barriers to giving praise — identify what holds you back from acknowledging others and how those habits were formed.
EXPERIMENT
Try new behaviors that shift your impact on others.
- Develop practical recognition strategies — test out small, actionable ways to integrate praise into conversations and meetings.
- Boost influence and leadership impact — explore how authentic praise improves connection and strengthens your leadership voice.
EMBODY
Turn new insights into habits that transform how you lead.
- Foster a culture of recognition — model praise consistently to shape a more positive, resilient, and high-performing team culture.
Keynote Description
“You’ve done a great job.” “I love your work.” It feels great to get that kind of feedback. The problem is it doesn’t happen enough—at any level. We all appreciate being acknowledged. The paradox is that as much as we’re uplifted and energized by authentic praise, we don’t always see ourselves as the source of it, creating a cycle of unrecognized efforts. And unrecognized employees are three times more likely to quit.
If you’re looking for better employee retention, more productive employees, and better working relationships, the good news is there’s hard science behind the Praise Paradox and some simple ways to address it. We all have incredible power to influence how people feel—which affects how they perform. Our work lives are much more gratifying when we have the kind of influence we want. Regardless of position, we all have the power to affect positive behavior in others. And a pivotal piece involves praise.
This keynote brings a spirited, engaging approach to the science behind the human behavior regarding praise, and the lasting effects. Knowing how we’re hardwired frees us up to take advantage in ways that benefit not just ourselves, but those around us. By mining some of the micro-lessons from the award-winning Picture Yourself a Leader, audiences come away with new ways to make tiny adjustments that have outsized impact.
Keynote Material
I discuss the PRAISE Loop in this keynote, and have a handy PDF guide as an additional resource. Click the link below to download and learn more about the PRAISE Loop.
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If you’re looking for a keynote speaker to inspire and energize your event participants about what it takes to achieve a high performing organization and accelerate learning and impact, I’d love to be your success partner. To get excited about the possibilities for your event, you can learn more about my keynote speaking here.
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