Express Appreciation in English | 6 Ways to Encourage Others

The Dos and Don’ts of Encouragement and Appreciation 

Let’s start with a few dos and don’ts to ensure you are able to express your appreciation sincerely. 

We’ll review 3 don’ts first and then look at what to do instead.

Don’t Be Vague Or Ambiguous

Kind words can sound disingenuous when they sound vague or ambiguous

In other words, simply saying “great job” or “cheer up” doesn’t have the same effect as focusing on why you think someone did a great job or why YOU think they should cheer up.

Don’t Overuse Superlatives

The overuse of superlatives like ‘incredible’, ‘amazing’, and ‘awesome’ loses its power after the very first use.

 Remember, superlatives are extreme adjectives that describe the extraordinary. Using these without anything to back up the reason for your kind words could unintentionally come across as something being said out of formality or necessity, rather than genuine care 

Don’t Make Impersonal Statements

Similar to ambiguous words of encouragement, appreciation, or compliments, when your comments aren’t specific or tailored to the person, they can sound duplicitous.

While your intention may have been to raise the person’s spirits, an impersonal comment may register as hollow, easily forgettable words. 

To avoid those don’ts, here’s what to do instead to express sincere appreciation: 

To ensure your words of encouragement or appreciation sound genuine, start with how you want to make the other person feel:

Valued

Tell them what you value most about them or why you value them

Seen

Recognize their pain points and any effort, small or big, that they’ve taken to address their pain. 

In other words, show them your appreciation of their efforts and that you value their thoughts.

Uplifted

Focus on details that can uplift the other person. Letting them know that you’re there for support or that their hard work paid off makes all the difference.