Motivating Language and

Employee Performance
Lect. Dr. Delia Pop-Flanja
delia.flanja@ubbcluj.ro
Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory of Motivation
Job motivation / job satisfaction
McClelland's Human Motivation Theory
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT)
Piers Steel and Cornelius J. Konig in 2006

 Expectancy = the chance of an outcome occurring

 Value = how rewarding that outcome is
 Impulsiveness = your sensitivity to delay
 Delay = how long it takes to receive the expected reward
Motivating LanguageTheory

 a method to describe managerial communication

and its ability to impact employees and
organizational outcomes
 initially conceptualized as motivational language

by professor Jeremiah Sullivan (1988), who

proposed a linguistic framework for enhancing
employee motivation.
◦ meaning-making language
◦ empathetic language
◦ direction-giving language

Jacqueline Mayfield, Milton Mayfield, Motivating Language

Theory. Effective Leader Talk in the Workplace, 2018
Meaning-Making Language

 a compelling tool that is not frequently expressed

 occurs when a leader articulates cultural norms,
unwritten behavioral expectations, organizational
vision and values, and sincere appreciation for a
follower’s unique talents and aspirations
 links personal values to work to organizational
values
 used in transformational leadership, because it is
instrumental during times of organizational entry,
assimilation and change.
Empathetic Language
 the leader’s ability to walk in another’s shoes,
to connect emotionally with a follower
 encourages employees to bring their whole

selves to work
 forges interpersonal bonds between a leader

and a follower
 not often used??
Direction-giving Language
 dominates most leader talk and is vital in
effective leader communication
 dispels ambiguity through transparency
 the leader articulates all the information that is

important for performing one’s job

 clarifies the actions needed to reach the

organizational vision and its goals and the

rewards that are associated with attaining them
 comprises task feedback
3 Facets of Motivating Language

 Jeremiah Sullivan/ Milton and Jacqueline Mayfield

PRACTICE
 Let your team of subordinates know that they
have done a poor job in the last month and
that they need to work more and to be more
productive.
 The Puzzle of Motivation - Dan Pink
 https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV5Ox1ZiEkM
◦ autonomy over the work of the employees,
◦ a feeling they can achieve mastery
◦ a larger sense of purpose
Tips for motivating and persuading
others at work
 Say the word ‘you’ more than ‘I.’
 Use names
 Practice the three As:

◦ Appreciate,
◦ Acknowledge,
◦ Ask
 Use positive words and phrases
 Convince with cause-and-effect phrases

 Darlene Price,
Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results, 2012
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/motivation/motivation-theories-top-8-theories-of-
motivation-explained/35377