Motivating staff members can and will most likely be one of the most frustrating experiences you will face as an administrator for a large organization. Motivation is not an easy thing to come by, but NaijaTab naija news forum is here to advice you on how you can motivate staff members. You must remember that you are the main role model on your forum as the administrator. Your staff members will follow you if they respect your actions and decisions. So without further talking, let’s get to the tips.
1) Keeping Optimistic Views
Keeping optimism in bad times is a good motivator on forums. If you have a positive outlook and express these feelings to your staff member, you should see them feeling more optimistic as well. You cannot expect your staff members to think positive if you yourself do not. This is why it is important to keep a positive vibe flowing through your forum at all times. It will motivate your staff members and give them a reason to keep working even under “bad” conditions on the forum.
2) Planning Events
Nothing gets staff members more excited than planning out events. If you can get good event-planning meetings going with your staff members, you should see them more motivated to work.
3) Communication Between Staff Members
As long as the vibe is generally positive, the more staff members communicate with each other the better. You are also responsible in keeping communication with your staff members and keep them happy with their position on the forum. The more you communicate, the more they feel useful in the forum, and feeling useful is a way to motivate staff members. If you would like to read more on staff communication techniques check out NaijaTab’s Successful Staff Communication Article.
4) Changing The Way Your Forum Looks
This is a simple thing you can do to hopefully motivate staff members, though it does not always work. If you give your forum a “fresh and new” feeling, that can motivate staff members. It’s a psychological approach that hopefully changes their views on the forum and makes them more optimistic. Achieving that “fresh and new” feeling is not always easy, but you can see more motivation in your staff if done well.
5) Revamps
Nothing gets staff members more motivated than a good ol’ revamp. A revamp incorporates a lot of the things mentioned above into one solid “event.” A revamp allows you to “restart” your forum and give it some pseudo new-forum energy. If things are going downhill and you cannot see a way out, a revamp is probably your best bet to saving your forum. Revamps do take a lot of work to plan and execute properly, but that is the perfect time to bond with your staff members and get them motivated once again. Take this opportunity if it ever arises to motivate your staff members.
6) Thought of Promotion
The thought of being promoted is enough to motivate staff members. If you always have a position that staff members can work towards to, this can be a huge motivator. Many newsnaija staff members will keep working towards those higher positions and it will surely motivate them.
7) Threat of Demotion
Sometimes the threat of demotion is good enough kick in the butt for many staff members to get to work. This will not always work, but if the staff member truly does want to keep his/her position, then they will have to motivate themselves and get to work. I think you should save this as a last resort, because it sometimes can backfire.
8) Recognition in Forum Announcements
Everyone likes to be recognized for their work and giving your forum staff members that gratitude will surely motivate them. A simple thank you can and will go a long way in the foruming world. Next time a staff member does something amazing, don’t forget to mention it in an announcement and make sure they are recognized for it. Everything your staff member does is done because they want to help your forum and they are doing it for free. This is the least you can do, and you will see how far it can actually go to motivate your staff members.
9) Monthly Requirements
Depending on your staff member’s duties, you may require them to perform a certain amount of work monthly. For example, if you have a team of designers, you may ask them to produce a certain amount of work monthly. This helps motivate them and actually keeps them active and working on your forum. Now, do not overdo it, otherwise you will just see people quitting due to the extraneous amount of work given. Remember that they are not being paid, you should not “work them to death” with their requirements. At the same time, you cannot give them no work because then it gives their position absolutely no use. You have to find that good middle ground where productivity, activity, and joy on the forum are interconnected.
10) Your Own Input and Work
Your own input and work greatly determines the overall attitude and motivation levels on your forum. If people see you are lazy and unmotivated, then they will most likely find no reason to be actively participating on the forum. You are the role model. You should set an example for all your staff members to follow. If they respect you, they will follow in your foot steps. Your own participation on the forum is vital for staff motivation.
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