Quiz your Participants

Here's a great quote that I ran across recently...

“The problem with communication … is the illusion that it has been accomplished.” 

George Bernard Shaw

This made me think of incentive and rewards programs.  In most cases there is a lot of fan-fare surrounding the launch of an incentive and recognition program.  Fancy posters, announcement communications, teaser mailers, teaser emails - everything needed to communicate with your target audience.

Unfortunately, many, many, times - the message is delivered but not understood.

Here's a quick tip that will ensure your program is successful. 

Create a follow up quiz (with a small award for participation) on the program.  Quiz your participants on the rules of earning - the reason for the incentive - the way they can redeem or claim their award.

This is a simple and easy way to judge the effectiveness of your launch communications.  You may find that the message was received loud and clear.  You may also find out the message wasn't.  It would be better to find out sooner than 6 months into the initiative.

Bonus Tip...

Do the quiz again in 3 months - or some other increment that is relevant to the program time frame, to jump start understanding and ensure the message hasn't morphed over time.

Comments

[Ann Bares]

Paul:

A great quote that cuts to the very heart of one of the biggest barriers to success with incentive and reward programs.

Your recommendation for the follow-up quiz is also a great one. Clients of mine who I've convinced to do this regularly have reaped real benefits in positioning their reward plans for success.