1. UnderstandingMultigenerationalCommunication Carol Hagans, Ph.D., HSPP www.carolhagans.com

2. Generational Breakdownhttp://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Generations GI & Silent Generation (1901-1942)Approximately 5% of workforce Baby Boom (1943 – 1960)Approximately 45% of workforce Generation X (1961 – 1980)Approximately 45% of workforce Millennials (1980/82 – 2000/02) Approximately 5% of workforce Homeland Generation 2004 – 2025?

3. Clues that Broadcast Preferences Clothes Eye contact Office Posture and body language Tempo Topics of conversation Voice Word choice (Raines, 2003, Connecting Generations, pg. 39)

4. Veterans Boomers Xers Millennials OutlookPractical Optimistic Skeptical Hopeful Work Ethic Dedicated Driven Balanced Determined View of Authority Respectful Love/hate Unimpressed Polite Leadership byHierarchy Consensus Competence Pulling tog RelationshipsPersonal Personal Reluctant to Inclusive sacrifice gratification commit TurnoffsVulgarity Political Cliché, hype Promiscuity incorrectness (Zemke, Raines, Filipczak. 2000. pg. 155)

5. Shifting Our Perception The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. (assumes similarities) Titanium Rule: Do unto others, keeping their preferences in mind. (accepts diversity) Raines, 2003, pg. 34.

6. Generational Values GI/Silents Boomers Dedication/sacrifice Conformity Respect for authority Delayed reward Duty before pleasure Hard work Law and order Patience Honor Adherence to rules Optimism Personal gratification Personal growth Work Team orientation Health and wellness Youth Involvement Zempke, Raines, Filipczak (2000). Pgs. 30, 68, 98, 132.

7. Generational Values Gen Xers Millennials Diversity Balance Fun Self-reliance Thinking globally Technoliteracy Informality Pragmatism Optimism Confidence Sociability Street smarts Civic duty Achievement Morality Diversity Zempke, Raines, Filipczak (2000). Pgs. 30, 68, 98, 132.

8. Generational Clashpoints(Lancaster & Stillman, 2003, Pages 30-31.) “chain of command” veterans “change of command” boomers “self-command” gen xers “don’t command – collaborate!” millennials

11. Technology Veterans: [Forrester Research]: “The net powered generation has internalized the Internet and uses it instinctively.” [Fortino Group Research]: Current 10-17 year olds will spend 1/3 of their lives (23 years) on the Internet.

13. Seven Attributes of Millennials Conventional Confident Special Sheltered Pressured Achieving Team Oriented

14. Demographic Changes Advantageous to Millennials Older parents. Smaller families = more resources & more parental time. More firstborns (roughly 40%) and singletons (approximately 10%). More parental education – 1 in 4 Millennials have at least 1 parent with a 4 year degree or higher. Slowing down of the family break-up.

15. Economic Climate for Millennials During the past 10 years* (up to 9/11) there have been only 2 weeks of interruptions of the cycle of prosperity whereas other generations will have experienced periods of 9 to 10 weeks at a time.

16. Increasingly Diverse 34% of Millennials are Black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American. 89% of them have already been on- line, a virtual environment where races does not exist.

17. Debt Load The average undergraduate student leaves us with $20,000 in student loan debt. The average graduate student leaves us with $45,000 in student load debt. The average credit card debt for college graduates is approximately $7,000. (Draut, Tamara. 2005. Strapped: Why American’s 20- and 30-Somethings Can’t Get Ahead.)

18. Indiana Student Debt The average student loan debt in 2008 was $23,000 with the Indiana average = $21,283 Indiana is 17th in the nation for the amount of student loan debt per student

19. Millennial Credit Card Debt In 2004 the average amount of credit card debt = $3,000 10% of Millennials owe at least $7,000 78% of students have 1 credit card 32% have 4 or more

20. What trends do we see in Millennials? They aren’t chart and graph oriented so make info pragmatic. Less hostile. Less rebellious than their predecessors. More practical-minded. More guarded and private about their intellectual beliefs. more…

21. Additional trends… May tend to be more respectful of authority. May be more reticent about public disputation. Less individualistic and more inclined to value “team over self, duties over rights, honor over feeling, action over words.” “Millennials feel more of an urge to homogenize, to celebrate ties that bind rather than differences that splinter.”

22. Clashpoints on Feedback(Lancaster & Stillman, 2003, Pg. 255) “No news is good news.” veterans “Feedback once a year, with lots of documentation!” boomers “Sorry to interrupt, but how am I doing?” gen xers “Feedback whenever I want it at the push of a button.” millennials

23. Clashpoints & Career Goals(Lancaster & Stillman, 2003, pg. 55) “Build a legacy.” veterans “Build a stellar career.” boomers “Build a portable career.” gen xers “Build a parallel career.” millennials

24. Clashpoints around Rewards(Lancaster & Stillman, 2003, pg. 77) “The satisfaction of a job well done.” veterans “Money, title, recognition, the corner office.” boomers “Freedom is the ultimate reward.” gen xers “Work that has meaning for me.” millennials

25. Clashpoints around Job Changing(Lancaster & Stillman, 2003, pg. 242) “Job changing carries a stigma.” veterans “Job changes puts you behind.” boomers “Job changing is necessary.” gen Xers “Job changing is part of my daily routine.” millennials

26. Levels of Response to Generational Disconnects(Raines, 2003, Pg. 37) Level 1: Acknowledge it and let it go. Level 2: Change your behavior. Level 3: Use a generational template to talk it over.

27. Six Strategies to Connect Different Generations(Raines, 2003, pg. 50) Initiate conversations about generations. Ask people about their needs and preferences. Offer options. Personalize your style. (Use Titanium Rule.) Build on strengths. Pursue different perspectives.

28. Messages to Motivate(Zempke, Raines, Filipczak, 2000, pgs 49, 77, 113, 145.) Veterans “Your experience is respected here. “It’s valuable to the rest of us to hear what has – and hasn’t – worked in the past.” “Your perseverance is valued and will be rewarded.” Boomers “You’re important to our success.” You’re valued here.” “Your contribution is unique and important.” “We need you.” “I approve of you.” “You’re worthy.”

29. Messages to Motivate 2(Zempke, Raines, Filipczak, 2000, pgs 49, 77, 113, 145.) Gen Xers “Do it your way.” “We’ve got the newest hardware and software.” “There aren’t a lot of rules here.” “We’re not very corporate.” Millennials “You’ll be working with other bright, creative people.” “Your boss is in her (or his) sixties.” “You and your coworkers can help turn this company around.” “You can be a hero here.”

30. Why they leave…(Raines, 2003, Connecting Generations, pg. 121-122) Veterans Physical reasons Inconsistent enforcement of policies and procedures Boomers Burnout Didn’t feel they could make a contribution Gen Xers Inability to get ahead without becoming managers Opportunities with other organizations – particularly with ones that help build resumes Millennials Job doesn’t meet expectations Job is repetitive or boring, without challenges and opportunities for development

31. Why they stay…(Raines, 2003, Connecting Generations, pg. 122) Veterans Loyalty to employer and customers Good schedule, reasonable hour Boomers Making a difference Xers Autonomy Good Schedule Time off Millennials Professional growth Personal satisfaction

32. 7 Attributes of flexible supervision(Zempke, Raines, Filipczak. 2000. pg. 157-158) 1. Their supervisory style is not fixed. 2. Their leadership style is situationally varied. 3. They depend less on positional than personal power. 4. They know when and how to make personal policy exceptions, without causing a team riot.

33. 7 Attributes (continued) 5. They are thoughtful when matching individuals to a team or a team or individual to an assignment. 6. They balance concern for tasks and concern for people. They are neither slave drivers nor country club managers. 7. They understand the elements of trust and work to gain it from their employees. They are perceived as fair, inclusive, good communicators, and competent in their own right.

34. References Deal, Jennifer J. (2007). Retiring the generation gap: How employees young and old can find common ground. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. San Francisco, CA. ISBN 13: 978-0-7879-8525-7. Draut, Tamara (2005). Strapped: Why America’s 20- and 30-Somethings Can’t Get Ahead. ISBN 0-385-51505-7. Howe, N. & Strauss, W. (2003). Millennials Go To College. American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and LifeCourse Associates. ISBN 1-578-58033-1.8

35. Gravett, Linda & Throckmorton, Robin. (2007). Bridging the Generational Gap: How to Get Radio Babies, Boomers, Gen Xers, and Gen Yers to Work Together and Achieve More. Career Press, Franklin Lakes, NJ. ISBN-13: 978-1-56414-898-8 Howe, N. & Strauss, W. Millennials Rising: The next great generation. New York: A Vintage Original, September 2000. Lancaster, L., & Stillman, D. (2002). When generations collide: Who they are. Why they clash. How to solve the generational puzzle at work. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. ISBN: 0-06-662106-2. Marano, Hara Estroff (2008). A nation of wimps: The high cost of invasive parenting. Broadway Books, NY, NY. ISBN: 978-0-7679-2403-0.

36. Raines, Claire. (2003). Connecting Generations: The sourcebook for a new workplace. Crisp Publications, Inc. Menlo Park, California. ISBN: 1-56052-693-9. Raines, Claire. (1997). Beyond Generation X: A practical guide for managers. Crisp Publications, Inc., Menlo Park, California. ISBN: 1-56052-448-9. Rosen, Christine. (2007). Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism. The New Atlantis. Shepard, Steven. (2004). Managing the Millennials. Consultative Education in Global Telecommunications. Wendover, Robert. (2007). Crossing the generational divide from Boomers to Zoomers. National Press Publications, Shawnee Mission, KS. ISBN: 1555824509. Zemke, R., Raines, C., & Filipczak, B. Generations at work: Managing the clash of veterans, boomers, xers, and nexters in your workplace. New York: American Management Association, 2000. ISBN 0-8144-0480-4.