You'd Better Recognize! Writing Winning Award Nominations. Prepared by the Awards & Professional Development Committee November 2011. Short-n-Sweet Nomination Writing Strategies…. Before You Start Writing…Tips from NASA!. What makes a “winning” nomination? It begins with - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Writing Winning Award NominationsNovember 2011
Short-n-Sweet Nomination Writing Strategies…
What makes a “winning” nomination? It begins with
nominators who take the time to write down what great
things they or their colleagues are doing – and describe the
positive impact these individuals are having on the organization’s
business
or mission goals.
When you write a nomination, being specific in how the
nominee
met the award criteria can make your nomination a winner.
Explaining detailed behaviors and giving specific examples
will
clearly paint the picture of why someone deserves to be
recognized.
If uncertain about the criteria being used for an award,
don’t
hesitate to ask for clarification.
Remember, it’s not the quantity of the nomination. It’s the
quality!
Follow the directions!
Remember, the selection committee is relying on your words and
examples to “see” your nominee’s attributes and contributions.
Speak from your heart!
Remember, your audience does not know anything about the nominee;
thorough explanations are key.
Address all parts of each question completely to assure the review
committee has all the information it needs to know about your
nominee.
Cite specific examples—use descriptive language and then give a
situation or example that shows the attribute.
Avoid the use of too many pronouns and run-on sentences. The
narrative should be clear and easy to read.
To make your nomination strong, consider the following questions in
your write-up:
What is the individual or team being nominated for? Be
specific.
How did the individual or team achieve this?
What measurable outcomes resulted from the nominee’s
achievement?
Did you identify one or more of the award criteria that the
nominee(s) exemplified, and then explain how the achievement was
outstanding in that regard?
Is there supplemental information you can solicit from colleagues
to strengthen the nomination?
In providing results, is the contribution an activity or project
that is still being developed or in the early stages of use? If so,
consider waiting to submit the nomination until after the impact
can be documented.
Make sure you proofread your statements. Grammatical
errors and misspelled words detract from the quality of the
nomination.
Don’t worry about using fancy words.
Use concrete examples.
Avoid sweeping generalities and make every sentence count.
Successful nominations have enough detail to make the case
for the nominee’s achievement.
Your nominee may be provided with your comments. Use
this as a professional development activity for yourself as
well!
Identify the person you want to nominate and start the process
months ahead of time.
Read and make sure you understand the criteria for judging who
receives the award.
Get a copy of the nominee’s c.v./resume and identify ways in which
he/she meets the criteria.
Try to identify something that you can use as a theme in the
letter, or write a kind of “thesis statement” that sums up the
person’s qualifications at the beginning.
Organize the letter effectively, using specific details—numbers,
facts, examples, anecdotes—to illustrate your
generalizations.
If possible, show early drafts of the letter to trusted readers to
get feedback on how to improve it.
Solicit letters of support from others whose reputations will help
the nominee be considered favorably. Supply helpful information to
the writers of supporting letters.
Have someone check the final draft for typos and other mistakes
before you print it and submit it.
If at first you don’t succeed, revise the letter as needed and
nominate the person again at the next opportunity! And, if you DO
succeed, you can re-use the nomination for other organizations as
well (with some alterations).
For More-Detailed Nomination Writing Support…
Talk with your nominee and those who work with the
individual to identify specifics about their leadership.
What organizations do they belong to? What leadership positions
have they assumed, both within their organization and within the
larger community? What projects have they taken on/accomplished
that demonstrate leadership, whether they were officially in a
leadership role or not? If you are nominating a professional
colleague, think about how this person promotes volunteer
administration as a profession - through personal as well as
professional actions. What patterns of professional growth do you
see? How have they sought to increase their personal/professional
knowledge and skills in this field?
Share how your nominee reflects core values and beliefs
regarding service.
Ask your nominee to talk about his/her personal philosophy of
service and then provide examples.
Share examples of how your nominee has served as a role model
and/or mentor for others.
It is often very helpful to talk with co-workers (paid and
non-paid) to gather this information. Ask co-workers to write a
letter of support that details a particular quality or aspect you
are writing about. This may be more effective than a general letter
that says your nominee is a great person.
Describe unique characteristics that are more than just
what a great or nice person this nominee is.
Choose one or two qualities that make this person truly outstanding
and then give specific examples. Talk about difficulties the
nominee may have faced and how the applicant dealt with them. Share
personal skills such as listening, teambuilding, collaboration,
creativity, and professionalism.
If you are nominating a volunteer manger for excellence
in the profession, this is your chance to say how you think
the colleague performs his/her work in a manner that
exemplifies all that we value.
Why should this person be held up as an example for all of us?
Years of service, being a nice, caring person or always being
willing to help are not in themselves outstanding. These
characteristics should be one part of a bigger picture of someone
who exemplifies excellence.
Remember, It Begins with YOU!
Nominators play a critical role in the nominating process. Here are
some tips/strategies to help you as you move forward:
Read the nomination form very carefully. Be sure you have
adequately answered all the questions. It is especially sad to see
a candidate eliminated because critical, required information has
been overlooked or omitted. Go back through each question after you
have written your response and be sure you have answered the
question.
Always assume that the judge/reviewer does not know your candidate.
Also assume that the judge is reading multiple nominations and is
looking carefully for the information required. Too much
information can be as harmful as too little information. Don't make
the judge read through wonderful, glowing language to find the real
heart of the answer. Be direct and then support what you have to
say with observation and fact.
Don't think you have to keep your nomination a secret or do it by
yourself. Most people are highly flattered that a colleague thinks
enough of them to nominate them for an award. Talk to your nominee.
Ask them the questions and listen for information you can use to
support your own thoughts and ideas. Call other colleagues and
discuss the nominee with them. Call people who work for and with
the nominee. Gather as much information and background as possible.
Be accurate. Don't guess or generalize. Give specific examples to
reinforce what you are saying. Give several examples to show
patterns or professional growth over time.
Organize your thoughts carefully and follow the nomination form.
Personalize. Focus on key questions on the nomination form: Detail
accomplishments and their impact; describe leadership abilities;
and, describe how the nominee has made a difference in the
community through and with volunteerism.
Don't just talk about what the person is/has done. Share what
stands out. What makes this person outstanding? How have these
accomplishments had an impact - on people, the community, and the
profession? Create a unique picture of your applicant. What makes
him/her stand out from all the rest? Remember, longevity is often
not part of the criteria. Consider how your nominee has taken the
position and made an impact, for the organization, the volunteers,
and/or the community.
Some Examples…
Theme/Thesis Statement Examples
1. _______’s contributions to general and professional education
could well be summed up as building bridges. In ten years as a
full-time professional faculty member with a joint appointment in
_______ and the _______ , she has worked on bridges related to
courses, programs, departments, and professions.
2. ____________ has taught and administered programs at Brigham
Young University for more than 25 years, most of that time as a
part-time teacher. She exhibits the kind of work ethic and
professionalism that one wishes were characteristic of all
full-time faculty. To find such constant striving to improve in a
part-time faculty member—when there are virtually no extrinsic
motivations or rewards for doing so—is truly admirable. I believe
the time has arrived to formally and materially acknowledge
__________’s significant contributions to the university.
Supporting Details…
Too general:
I am the lobbyist for the ___________ Association and was hired
when [nominee] was the _____-elect in 1994. ________ didn’t stop
working hard when she stepped down from being the _______. She
continues to be one of the most effective members at the grassroots
level.
More specific:
I have been very impressed by ________’s work in the political
arena. As ________-Elect, she worked tirelessly to identify state
issues of importance to [the organization], then took action to
deal with those issues. She spent hours at legislative meetings,
both to get to know legislators better and to keep on top of the
issues. She participated in party fund-raising events to elevate
the visibility of the Association and got other members involved.
She also helped develop the role of the lobbyist hired by the
Association.
Examples, continued…
Even more specific by use of an anecdote:
When __________ became ________, her focus changed to national
issues. She set up the state grassroots liaison structure, which
enabled the organization to develop relationships with Utah’s
senators and representatives. She was always very enthusiastic
about _____’s public policy issues. I attended the ____ Legislative
Symposium with _______ in March 1997 in Washington, D.C. She
arranged for us to visit every single senator and representative
from Utah in one day while we were in Washington. We had students
with us and had to travel to different buildings in the rain. She
kept us all together and guided the discussions we had with each
office. The visits were a great success because we were able to
educate the representatives about _______________. Every member of
Congress, especially Senator Hatch, was surprised and impressed by
the education of ___________ and our contribution to the health
care team.
Examples, continued…
Specific through use of numbers:
The best reflection of Dr. ___________’s skills lies in her student
outcome. During the last four years, BYU has placed 83% of the
didactic graduates who apply for internships. Much of this is due
to the extensive time and preparation ___________ puts into their
learning experiences and professional application procedures. The
pass rate on the last ten Registration Examinations has been 100%
for the didactic graduates and 96% for the Coordinated Program
graduates. Graduate evaluations of the program, following
internships or job placements, have consistently been
positive.
Examples, continued…
Since she became coordinator of the ______________ program in 1998,
___________ has repeatedly taught sections of Honors 303R and
supervised her associates in the teaching of Honors 214R, focusing
on the theory and practice of __________. As a consultant for
__________ since 1998, she has also co-taught six professional
development seminars for faculty on ____________. Altogether, in
the last 25 years, she has taught 107 sections of courses that
involve as many as 7-8 papers per student. A conservative estimate
is that she has taught well over 2,000 students how to ________ or
how to teach/tutor _________, and she has read and graded some
75,000 pages of student writing. She has done all this not only
cheerfully but enthusiastically.
References
http://nasapeople.nasa.gov/awards/winning_nominations.htm
http://fwa.byu.edu/nomination_letters.doc
http://www.merrillassociates.com/topic/2003/10/writing-award-winning-nominations/
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/22235977/How-to-write-an-award-nomination