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Do you want to appreciate your colleagues and mates? Here are 6 simple ways to express gratitude that will help you become a better leader.
Do you want to appreciate your colleagues and mates? Here are 6 simple ways to express gratitude that will help you become a better leader!
Merci. Gracias. Danke. Mahalo. Grazie. Shukriya. Hvala. Tak.
Do you know what all the above words have in common? They all mean thank you.
These words are verbal expressions of appreciation in different languages. Gratitude begins as a feeling, but this is only one side of the coin. The other side is communication-the expression of gratitude. Both, deep feeling and expressive action make up the totality of gratitude.
Today, gratitude is widely recognized to play a pivotal role in strengthening relationships, building a common ground and improving health and wellbeing. If you are in a position where you identify as a “leader” in the workplace and “responsible friend” in your social circle, you must know these simple ways to express gratitude to people who look up to you.
Unfortunately, expressing gratitude isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, especially in a workplace when time is limited and deadlines inevitable. Similarly, expressing gratitude to friends you love can be difficult too!
Some feel awkward, some embarrassed, and some don’t have any clue on how to start. If you fall in the above category or are just looking for interesting ways to express your gratitude, we’ve got you covered with this attitude tool kit.
Words have power. Using the innate power of words, one can communicate gratitude impactfully. Saying a simple thank you or penning a short note can work well. Here you have options to explore the tone of your message.
Your note of gratitude could be medium-formal or informal, handwritten or virtual. One of the most popular and effective choices is the handwritten note. Leave the message on a post-it or handmade paper-choice is yours.
An added tip is to specify—what you are thankful for and how that person has helped you. Just adding a few details can lift your message, making it more intimate and meaningful.
Another classic favourite is the handmade gift. After all, an expression of thankfulness doesn’t need to be expensive to make an impression. Many of us do treasure the drawings gifted by our children, nieces, nephews and so on.
This is also an opportunity to flex your creativity. Good at cooking, make a home-cooked meal. If art is your thing, make a photo collage interwoven with touches of your art work. You get the drift.
Though a gift given with affection is great, personalisation takes it to the next level. Check the person’s likes and dislikes and try to align your gift with that. After all, gifting tea to a tea lover is more meaningful than gifting it to someone who isn’t a fan.
Another alternative is a gift of encouragement, to support them in their hobby. For example, someone is passionate about gardening, gift them a plant or seeds as a way of saying thank you.
For some, as actions speak louder than words, acts of service are right up their alley. This can take the form of something as simple as active listening, as in today’s busy and noisy world, just having someone to listen to you has become a rarity.
Offering little acts of kindness, especially when the receiver of your gratitude needs help, is another effective way.
Time is one of the most precious things in today’s hectic world. So, gifting your time is a great way to show appreciation. A good idea is to spend time doing something the other person likes. For example, if they love puzzles, buy one and spend some one-on-one time completing it together.
Or how about catching up on a film together, or even a simple walk in the park could be great ways of spending quality time while also saying thank you.
One good way to become better at expressing gratitude is to actually start with oneself. What about yourself are you grateful for? Your passion, creativity, patience, grit etc. Begin by appreciating yourself. Then, this gratitude for the self can become the stepping stone for expressing gratitude to others in your life.
Expressing gratitude is also about more than just giving a physical gift. Positive Psychology Research has shown that gratitude is a positive emotion, which, when expressed, boosts the health and happiness of both the giver and the receiver. Expressing gratitude can truly be a gift that keeps giving. It is a good addition to your daily to-do list.
What is your favourite way of expressing gratitude?
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Image source: edited on CanvaPro
Nidhi is the founder of We-Storytellers, full service business storytelling and marketing communications company. Her successful entrepreneurial journey is validated by 10X revenue growth and 40+ client partnership in 3 years. In 16+ years read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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