The participation certificates, awards or trophies: some say it kills the motivation, where as some say it boosts up the confidence of all the participants. Well, it is about the way of thinking. Different people have got different type of thought process, so it varies from person to person.

• Participation trophy: Motivation killer?

It has been asked a thousand of trillion times if all the participants should be given a trophy. The answer was a big ‘No’ and will always remain No, at least if you keep asking the same people who are against it.

Whether it is the corporate function where the best employee of the company is going to get trophy, the sports event where the winning athlete is going to get the award or the school competition where the winning kid is going to get the medal, only the deserving candidate should be given the trophy and not the rest.

Giving the trophy only to the deserving candidate will boost up the confidence in him. All the other people will also feel like achieving the same, which will give them the motivation. This will make them work harder and smarter so that they can achieve the same as the winner. Striving hard for achieving will hone their skills and talent. It will encourage them to work harder and faster.

If all the participants are given the trophies, it will give them a sense of achievement. This will ruin it all and will reduce the impact and encouragement of working hard. It will not motivate them so much as compared to if they do not receive any award. Going home empty handed will make them feel worse than at least getting a participation trophy.

It works the best in the companies and the organisations where they give the award or prize to the employee of the month. Every month the employee who has worked the hardest deserves the award. So, looking at the winner, all the other employees get motivated to work even harder in the coming month.

Shortly, loosing is good for you! It will at least make you perform better, the next time. The greed of taking away the award, trophy or medal can motivate you to work harder than anything else.

• Participation trophy: Confidence booster?

When it is about kids, the participation trophies act as the confidence booster. Kids like getting gifts and appreciation. So, in order to make them take part in the competitions, they should be given trophies irrespective of they win or lose. It makes them feel more confident about themselves and it gives them a sense of self esteem that they can do something. Only if they get such feeling, they will continue participating in the school competitions, at least because of the greed of gifts and trophies.

Conclusion:

Well, sometimes they act as a confidence booster when it comes to kids, where as sometimes it acts as a motivation killer, when it comes to the employees or athletes. So, depending upon the age group, profession and category, the view varies. Thus, the debate continues...