Hello everyone! As I mentioned back in my February blog entry we added product videos to help you get a close-up of some of our best-selling items along with ideas and ways to use them. Well, I wanted to let you know that we have added more, so make sure to check them out.

Look for the icon on the product pages and click on the link to learn more about the product. You can watch some of our latest product videos on these best sellers:

• Jade Glass Award Trophies
• Pocket Praise
• Character Pins

We've also added a Video Hub that is a central location for all Baudville videos including product videos, Recognition TV recorded webisodes, recognition videos, and the Cubicle Chronicles. Visit http://www.baudville.com/videos to view any video, any time!

Stay tuned, over 200 new recognition products are coming out at the end of June and more videos are on their way!

Thanks to everyone who attended our live video webisode this morning! If you weren’t able to attend, you can view the recorded version in the Recognition TV section of our website or on our Facebook page. 

I shared some appreciation event ideas today, and I focused on four key event elements: theme, communication, activities and games and gifts and food. By examining each of these elements and making sure they work together, you can put on a successful appreciation event that is truly memorable for your attendees.

Theme
Everything about your event starts with the theme. A theme provides consistent messaging for everything you do, and it serves as a guideline for planning. As you confirm the other elements of your event, you should ask yourself: Does this support or confuse our event’s message?

At Baudville, we use themes for most of our events. One year for Customer Service Week, our theme was Red Carpet Service. We literally rolled out the red carpet for our employees! All of the activities and gifts throughout the week were connected to the red carpet theme.

Not only does a theme make your planning easier, but it also makes your event more successful and memorable. When all of the elements of your event work together, it will be a more attendees are more likely to remember your event.

Communication
One of my favorite topics! (next to recognition, of course.) When it comes to creating a memorable appreciation event, the most important factor isn’t where it’s held or how formal it is. It’s how big of a deal you make it, and that’s all done through communication.

Continue your theme onto all of your communication pieces, and you should have a lot! You’ll need to use several different communication techniques and media. For instance, your younger workers may be satisfied with an email about the event, but a Baby Boomer will likely want a tangible invitation they can hold in their hands.

Start communicating early! The more time you have, the more anticipation and excitement you can build with your messaging. Make sure you cover the essentials, like time, place and proper attire (and footwear), but don’t give everything away! Having a few secrets will keep interest in your event high.

A few of my favorite communication ideas:
- Post fliers on car windshields
- Create a poster campaign
- Have information posted inside bathroom stalls
- Use post event communication, like a newsletter or intranet

Activities & Games
At Baudville, our activities is the memorable part of our appreciation events. Employees continue to talk about great activities that took place at our appreciation events for years! Including an activity or a game as part of your event will allow for team bonding and provide a nice change of pace.

Some of our most popular events have been a paper airplane contest, office winter Olympics and a photo shoot. Each of these was connected with the theme of the event, and they were supported by themed communication. To see pictures and video from our office winter Olympics, visit our Facebook page.

Gifts & Food
The gifts can be one of the most important elements of your event because it serves as a souvenir for attendees. Make sure your gift reflects your theme, so your appreciation event attendees remember the key messages (hint: one of them should be “you are appreciated”).

Your takeaway gift should be something attendees can use, like the notepad or memo clips  I showed in the presentation today. A personalized gift, with the attendees name or the date and theme of the event, provides a special touch. When you’re planning more formal appreciation events or want to make a big impression, consider making personalized gifts.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a great appreciation event example from one of our customers who used the Essential Piece theme for her volunteer appreciation event. I mentioned it again in the webisode today when I was talking about gifts. You can read all about the event here.

Food is one of the most popular rewards around Baudville! For food to make an event special, it needs to be something that attendees don’t have all the time. When we’ve celebrated our award as a West Michgian 101 Best and Brightest Company to Work For, we’ve treated our employees to the decadent desserts (a la mode) from the Grand Traverse Pie Company. Employees have the chance to socialize while they enjoy their special treat. This is always a popular (and easy!) appreciation event!

Thanks for being a part of this month’s Recognition TV webisode! Join us on June 24 for our next webisode when we talk about how to make your employees’ day!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (officially, she's a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

If you’re a Baudville fan, chances are you’ve planned an appreciation event – if not multiple! – for your organization. Appreciation events can be an effective way to show employees, volunteers or any dedicated group of people how much you value your contributions.

Join me on Thursday when I share appreciation event ideas for informal and affordable events. I’ve planned quite a few events at Baudville, and I’ll share what our employees have liked the best.

The webisode is this week Thursday, May 27 at 11:30am EST. You’ll be able to ask questions and share ideas live via chat. It will only take 15 minutes of your time, and we’ll post the recorded version if you need to watch it at a later date. Register now so you don’t miss any of the appreciation event ideas!

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday! Bring your questions and ideas to share!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (officially, she's a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

I’m in Chicago for the first part of the week exhibiting at the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) International Conference and Exposition. After a whirlwind first day, it’s safe to say the attendees are excited to see Baudville and all our cool stuff!

I wanted to share our message with those of you who aren’t able to travel to the Windy City this week and make a few – very affordable – product suggestions that you can implement right away.

The ASTD Conference is full of trainers (obviously), so they’re familiar with recognizing employees at the completion of a training session or for milestone achievements. We have great products for that - trainers make a lot of award certificates - but I really wanted to introduce some of our new signature products to attendees, too.

My recommendation for trainers is to give praise during the training rather than wait for the end of a training session to recognize. For instance, get a Cheers Kit in the theme of your choice. With over 15 options, you can pick the theme that best fits your material, organization or audience. Throughout the training, trainers should use any breaks to write a note on a Cheers Note. Then, you can present the note publicly in front of the whole class or have it waiting at the person’s seat when he returns.

Small expressions of recognition like this are extremely memorable. It will help the recipient to remember you, your training and the material. Plus, it’s fun! You’ll introduce a new atmosphere of levity to the training session and your reputation as a trainer.

We’ve designed all of our day-to-day recognition tools to include space for your handwritten note because we feel it is a vital element of effective recognition. It’s personal, memorable, and meaningful to the recipient. Start giving recognition regularly in your training or workplace and watch the transformation in attitudes and performances take place!

If you're interested in the ASTD Conference, follow the twitter stream under the hashtag #ASTD10. Attendees, speakers and exhibitors are sharing lots of great information there!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (officially, she's a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

Employee engagement has been an important issue for Human Resources and management since Gallup published its Employee Engagement index and estimated that disengaged workers cost U.S. businesses as much as $350 billion a year. This staggering figure got many to pay attention to employee engagement. Today, companies are focusing on improving employee engagement levels that were damaged by the layoffs and cutbacks of the recession.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recently published an article on the current state of employee engagement in its May issue of HR Magazine. I highly recommend you read the article in addition to my thoughts here.

One of my key takeaways from the article was the loose definition of employee engagement as an employee’s sense that she contributes and adds value to the organization. When employees feel their work matters to the organization as a whole, they’re more likely to put their passion into action. Knowing this, managers can tailor their communication and recognition to reinforce the unique value each employee brings to the team.

Secondly, the article mentions a Harvard Business School survey and points to the importance of using recognition to improve employee morale. Teresa Amabile, the professor who conducted the survey, found that employees rank progress as the number one workplace engagement factor.

“Workers reported feeling most engaged on days when they made headway or received support to overcome obstacles in their job,” said Amabile.

Can you imagine how powerful recognition could be on those days? What if you regularly recognized employees for making progress on projects, both big and small? Since progress is a primary engagement factor, it’s safe to assume you could make a serious impact on the engagement level on your team.

Regular recognition – and higher employee engagement – is not an expensive undertaking, but it takes effort. As you recognize individual’s progress, you’ll learn the type of recognition you use will vary by individual preferences.

That’s ok. In fact, it’s a great problem to have.

To better recognize employees, you’ll get to know them on a more personal level. In the progress, you’ll form a greater connection that can improve loyalty, morale and – what else? – employee engagement.

Improve your relationship with employees and increase employee engagement at the same time? What a sweet deal!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (officially, she's a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Gen Y generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.