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About this tool
Write specific praise using the Situation-Behaviour-Impact model, with a vague-word check and a timeliness warning.
This builder writes appreciation notes using the Situation-Behaviour-Impact model from the Center for Creative Leadership: name the moment, describe the behaviour you observed, then state what changed. It scores the draft on seven checks — including whether the impact contains an actual number, whether any adjective-only praise words slipped in, and whether you are sending it within a week of the event. Built for managers, peers and team leads who want recognition that survives being quoted in a performance review.
Open Employee Appreciation Note Builder on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Add your input to the workspace.
Adjust the options until the result looks right.
Copy or download the output and put it to work.
The structure forces a verb — what the person did — instead of a trait they supposedly have.
Words like 'rockstar', 'amazing' and 'great job' are flagged so the note keeps its evidence.
Praise sent more than seven days after the event is flagged and the note opens by dating the moment instead.
Situation-Behaviour-Impact is a three-part structure from the Center for Creative Leadership: state the situation, describe the observable behaviour, then explain the impact it had. It works for praise and for corrective feedback because it separates what happened from any judgement about the person.
Anchor it to one specific moment, describe exactly what the person did in verbs, and say what changed as a result — ideally with a number such as minutes of downtime avoided or orders saved. Skip 'great job' entirely: it names no behaviour, so it cannot be repeated or learned from.
Within about a week. The link between the behaviour and the praise weakens fast, and a note that arrives a month later reads as an afterthought. If you are late, say so and date the event in the first line rather than pretending it just happened.
Match it to the person and the work. Public recognition in a team channel is good for visible, collaborative wins; a private note is better for quiet or personal effort, and for anyone who finds public attention uncomfortable. Feedback to their manager carries more career weight than either.