BUSINESS ENGLISH – GIVING CREDIT & SHOWING APPRECIATION

Focus: recognizing other people's contributions, giving professional compliments, sharing credit, and responding naturally to praise.

Goal: Participants will be able to show appreciation professionally, give credit to colleagues, and respond naturally when someone compliments their work.

1. Quick Review – Different Personalities

Read the description and choose a word from last week:

easy-going • assertive • reserved • approachable • outspoken

1. I don't say much when I first meet people.  

2. People find it easy to come and talk to me. 

3. I say exactly what I think, even when others disagree.  

4. I can express what I need confidently without being aggressive. 

5. I don't get stressed or annoyed easily. 

Quick question: Which of these qualities do you think makes someone a particularly good colleague? Why?

2. Vocabulary – Appreciation & Recognition

Make it personal: Which matters more to you – recognition from your manager or appreciation from your colleagues? Why?

3. Useful Phrases

I have to give ___ credit for…

Use it when someone deserves recognition for something.

Example: I have to give Marta credit for coming up with the original idea.

I really appreciate you…

A warm but professional way to thank someone for something specific.

Example: I really appreciate you staying late to help us finish this.

I couldn't have done it without…

Use this when someone played an important part in your success.

Example: I couldn't have done it without the rest of the team.

4. Give Them Some Credit!

Imagine these three people are on your team.

TOM

He spotted a serious mistake in a report five minutes before it was sent to an important client.

MAYA

Your team was falling behind on a project, so she stayed late and helped everyone finish on time.

DANIEL

He came up with an idea that initially sounded strange, but it ended up saving the company a lot of time.

Your challenge: You are their manager. Give each person one sentence of recognition – but you cannot use the word “good”. Try to make the compliment specific.

✗ Good job, Tom.

✓ Tom, I really appreciate you catching that mistake before the report went out.

Bonus: Who deserves the most recognition? You can only choose one.

5. What Would You Do?

Situation 1

You and a colleague work equally hard on a project. During a meeting, your manager says: “Fantastic work, Alex. You did a great job with this project.” But doesn't mention your colleague at all.

Would you say something? What?

Situation 2

A colleague gives you a lot of help with a presentation. Later, the presentation goes extremely well and your manager congratulates you.

How would you respond?

Situation 3

One person on your team is extremely reliable and always helps everyone, but their work often goes unnoticed because they don't talk about their achievements.

Should you do anything about it?

6. Questions and Example Answers

1. Do you remember a compliment about your work that genuinely meant something to you?

Yes. Someone once told me that I was very reliable and that they could always count on me. I appreciated it because it was about more than just one task.

2. Which feels better: being praised privately by your manager or publicly in front of the whole team?

Probably private. Public recognition is nice, but I'd feel slightly uncomfortable being praised in front of everyone.

3. Do people get enough recognition at most workplaces?

Probably not. We tend to notice mistakes much more quickly than things people do well.

4. Is saying “good job” enough, or should praise always be specific?

It's nice, but specific praise means more. If someone tells you exactly what you did well, it feels more genuine.

5. Why do you think some people find it uncomfortable to receive compliments?

Some people are naturally reserved and don't like being the centre of attention. They might also worry about sounding arrogant.

6. Is it possible to praise people too much at work?

Yes. If a manager praises absolutely everything, the recognition can start to feel meaningless.

7. Who deserves more recognition: someone who produces excellent results or someone who constantly helps the whole team?

I'd choose the person who helps the team. Individual results are important, but someone who makes everyone perform better has a huge impact.

8. Imagine two people contribute to a project, but one clearly does more work. Should they receive equal credit?

Not necessarily. Both contributions should be acknowledged, but I think it's fair to recognize the person who put in more effort.

9. What's worse: a manager who rarely gives praise or one who praises everyone for everything?

Probably the one who praises everyone constantly. At least with the other manager, you know that when they do compliment you, they really mean it.

10. Some people are very good at making their achievements visible, while others quietly do excellent work. Who is more likely to succeed professionally?

Unfortunately, probably the person who makes their achievements visible. Doing excellent work is important, but people also need to know about your contribution.