Awards are great motivators. So why are there no more business awards? After all we all like to be praised for doing well. Whether the award is for being the salesman of the year or for years of service to the company doesn’t really matter. The whole point is to make the recipient feel good about him or herself. After all someone who is acknowledged as being good at the job will feel that they are doing something right and will make an even bigger effort. It’s even better if the award comes from an outside source of course when an employee is named entrepreneur of the year for instance or the company is awarded the business award of the year. Such awards will be given more publicity which in turn is good for the company. Whatever the reason for it though remember it pays to praise.

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Staff dinners and parties are held at different times of the year. Many are held at Christmas of course. Yet more are held at the time of the trading year. Whenever they are held they give an opportunity to the C.E.O. the owner or manager to give a motivational speech to staff. That is something that is increasingly important these days. Companies are downsizing. People are in fear of losing their jobs. It is up to the speaker to be positive and reassuring. Thanking the staff for their contribution is essential because you need to engender the feel good factor. You must challenge the staff to overtake the opposition and to beat the recession. You should speak too of being open to their ideas and suggestions because even simple solutions can make a difference. The annual dinner is your opportunity to speak to the staff in a personal capacity too. So it’s alright to mention the style being worn or the dancing that will form part of the occasion. It’s a social occasion so your speech should not be too long and a few light hearted comments are perfectly acceptable. Finally such a speech is about involvement. It’s your annual opportunity to get the staff onside. Don’t waste it.

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Spring brings new growth and that’s exactly what businesses need these days. It may be by launching a new product or by changing your attitude towards your staff. It could be cutting costs or promoting team creativity in your company. Above all, though, it is about communicating your ideas to your staff. It is about motivating them. Just as gardeners start planning their flower beds and clearing up the garden in spring managers and C.E.O’s have to sit back and consider what they have to do to promote new growth. They cannot achieve any such improvements without the back up and support of their staff. So just like that gardener they have to prune out the bad habits and plant the seeds for success. Above all they have to realise and promote the idea that companies don’t succeed in business people do.

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Be a team player. That’s good advice whether you are in the military, an office or a football team. Too much attention seems to be given to the individual stars and there is no doubt that some people are outstanding in their fields. If we are to succeed in any given arena though we have to learn to pull together with others. Even the most talented player in any field will have some faults and will need the support or influence of others. Certainly even those who play individual sports will have support from coaches or mentors So being a team player is something that managers, officers and coaches have to get across to those they are training. As the saying goes, there is no i in the word team. Some will reply that there is me in team but that is a selfish and childish response. As the advertisement says, together we can make things happen.

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The anniversary of a business is a time for looking back at the achievements of the company. That anniversary, though, is also a time to look forward to the challenges of the future. In tough economic times it is more critical than ever to learn from the past and to adapt for the future. What the owner or manager says at such an anniversary function is, therefore, critically important. He has to be realistic in his speech mentioning the situation as it really is. He should speak encouragingly of past successes, of course, but he must also speak bluntly about the future. He should tell his staff how they can build on the successes of the past but how they must take account of changing times, a different economic climate. In an age of wage cuts and redundancies he must give hope that their particular business can succeed if staff rise to the challenges ahead. So he should ask for new ideas, different ways of doing things. He should explain that they are all in the business together and that it is together they will fall or succeed. So whatever position a staff member might have he must put it up to him or her to improve the way something is being done. Above all he must end on a positive and upbeat note.

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Start the New Year and the Conference off with a bang. This is the time of the year when companies make a fresh start and industries organise business conferences. Those conferences can cover a multitude of subjects from pharmaceuticals to environmental matters and a million topics in between. Whatever the subject matter though it is critical that they should start well. That means that delegates should be made to feel both welcome and involved. It means that they should have a clear idea of what is going to happen at the conference. Above all the speaker should make them realise how they can benefit by their involvement in that particular conference. A good speaker then will sell the idea that their attendance was a very clever move on their behalf. He will speak of the advantages of meeting others in the particular industry and sharing ideas with them. A good speaker will ensure that delegates literally sit up and take notice.

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The start of the New Year is an ideal time for a business opening. It’s a time for fresh starts and new ideas. When times are tough you have to make an effort, try something different. The New Year is the perfect opportunity to do something completely different with your life. Whatever your trade or your profession a New Year gives you a chance to think outside the box and to consider new options. It’s a time to be brave and a time to start afresh. Your new business can be anything from selling widgets to starting a new insurance brokerage. Whatever it is you should launch it with a party at which you should speak of your hopes and dreams for the future of the business. Invite those who have helped you and thank them for their support. Speak of your plans. Ask them to spread the word about what you are doing. Then raise a toast to your new and exciting business; wishing it every success.

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International conferences take place every day. Whatever the topic, whatever the business people gather from around the world to discuss common interests and to exchange views. Someone always has the job of welcoming the delegates to such a conference and in doing so they lay the foundation for its success. Obviously the speaker has to do his or her research. Different countries have different cultures and it is important not to say anything that would offend. It is equally important to make the delegates feel thoroughly welcome. You may have to mention any safety notices that are necessary. It is important also to explain the agenda for the conference and what form it will take. Above all the speaker will have to stress the importance of the subject matter and make everyone present feel involved.

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Not all companies have a Christmas party. Instead they have an annual dinner, often around Christmas time. The reasons are the same. They are meant as a mark of appreciation to the staff for their hard work during the year. They are also meant as a means of motivating the staff to do even better in the year ahead. So whoever is speaking whether it is the C.E.O. the boss or the manager has to do a fine balancing act. The occasion is a social one so the speech should be short and light-hearted. On the other hand he or she has to get in the message that we live in tough times and that hard work is essential in the coming year. It’s not a night for facts and figures but rather one for being optimistic and appealing to the staff for their co-operation, their ideas and their suggestions. Basically the speech should be saying “We are all in this together. Tonight let’s party and then let’s get on with making next year even better.”

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They are gone but they are still with you. The members of your staff retirement association will soon gather for that annual seasonal dinner. It’s a social occasion of course so what you say cannot be boring, dull or lengthy. Yet they will be those present who have worked for the firm for forty years and who still take a keen interest in the goings on of the company or corporation. They want to hear how it is succeeding in these recessionary times and you have to tell them. Remember their pension might not run to reading the Financial Times. It’s appropriate too to welcome them and to urge them to mix and match with old colleagues and friends. This is one gathering of staff that doesn’t have to be motivational but it is a big day in their lives. So tell them that it is they who have built up the company and that they did a marvellous job. Don’t forget, of course, to wish them the compliments of the season.

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