Say it like this
- Big shoutout to the team for shipping on time
- I want to give a shoutout to Marcus for staying late to fix the deployment
- Quick shoutout to everyone who contributed to the redesign
Use it at work
Praising
- Shoutout to Leo for fixing the build!
- Big shoutout to the support team.
In meetings
- Before we start, a quick shoutout to the design team.
- I want to give a shoutout to Ana.
Slack
- We have a #shoutouts channel for thanks.
- Thanks for the shoutout!
Don't say this
Shoutout means public recognition, not urgent notification. Use flag, escalate, or alert for urgent issues.
Don't mix it up
| Term | What it is | Who writes or uses it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| shoutout | Public thanks | Anyone | Slack, meetings |
| kudos | Praise or credit | Anyone | Slack, meetings |
| callout | Pointing something out, good or bad | Anyone | Updates |
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. Your colleague stayed late to fix a critical production issue. What do you say?
2. In the standup meeting, the tech lead gave a quick _______ to the QA team for their thorough testing.
3. Which sentence uses shoutout incorrectly?
4. Rewrite this using shoutout: During the meeting, the manager publicly thanked the frontend developers for completing the redesign ahead of schedule.
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 3
"Big shoutout to the team for shipping on time"
We don't save your recording. The word check uses your browser's speech recognition.
More about shoutout
Real examples(3)
- in a standup meeting
"I have a quick shoutout for David, who fixed the critical database issue that was blocking our release."
- in a team chat
"Shoutout to Lisa for mentoring the new junior engineers this quarter!"
- in an all-hands meeting
"Big shoutout to the DevOps team for improving our deployment pipeline by 40 percent."
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. Do not use shoutout to mean flagging a critical issue in a negative way; it is only used for public recognition or acknowledgment. It is also not used to describe urgent warnings or alerts.
- ✕I want to shoutout myself for completing the project early.✓The team gave me a shoutout for completing the project early.
Shoutouts should recognize others, not yourself. It would sound arrogant to give yourself a shoutout.
- ✕Shoutout to the production errors we encountered today.✓Shoutout to the team for quickly resolving the production errors we encountered today.
A shoutout must recognize a person or group, not a problem or situation.
Other forms(2)
- shoutout noun
"I want to give a shoutout to the engineering team."
- give someone a shoutout phrase
"The manager gave a shoutout to the developer who fixed the critical bug."
Often used with(4)
- big shoutout · Emphasizes the recognition; used when you want to strongly acknowledge someone
- quick shoutout · Brief acknowledgment, often used in meetings to stay on schedule
- give a shoutout · The most common way to use the phrase; means to publicly recognize someone
- shoutout to · Used to direct the recognition toward a specific person or team
Similar words(4)
- recognition · More formal; shoutout is more casual and conversational
- credit · Broader term; shoutout specifically means public acknowledgment
- kudos · Similar meaning but more formal; shoutout is more casual and modern
- call out · Similar but call out can also mean pointing out a mistake or problem
Opposites(3)
- criticism
- blame
- complaint
Questions(5)
- What does shoutout mean in a tech workplace?
- A shoutout is a public acknowledgment or recognition of someone's contribution or achievement. It is commonly used in meetings, chat channels, or emails to thank and praise colleagues for their work. For example, giving a shoutout to someone for fixing a critical bug or helping a teammate.
- How do you use shoutout in a sentence at work?
- The most common structure is give someone a shoutout followed by a reason. Example: Big shoutout to Marcus for shipping the feature on time. You can also say: I want to give a shoutout to the QA team for catching all those edge cases. Shoutouts are typically brief and positive.
- Is shoutout formal or informal?
- Shoutout is casual and informal. It is perfect for team meetings, standups, and chat channels, but would be too casual for formal business communications like official emails to clients or external stakeholders. In those settings, use recognition or acknowledge instead.
- Can you give yourself a shoutout?
- No, a shoutout should recognize others, not yourself. Giving yourself a shoutout would sound arrogant and unprofessional. It is meant to celebrate and appreciate other people's work and contributions.
- What is the difference between shoutout and call out?
- Shoutout means public recognition and praise. Call out can mean the same thing, but it can also mean pointing out a mistake, problem, or someone who is not performing well. Shoutout always has a positive meaning, while call out can be neutral or negative depending on context.
