Generations and Communication

Generations & Communication

Generations

What is a generation? A group of generally contemporaneous individuals regarded as having common

cultural or social characteristics and attitudes.

Generations

Same?

A saeculum is a length of time roughly equal to the potential lifetime of a person or the equivalent of the complete renewal of a human population.

Generations

The Silent Generation - 1927 and 1945 The Baby Boomers - 1946 and 1964 Generation X – 1965 and 1980 Generation Y (Millenials) – 1980 and 1999

(more/less) Generation Z (iGen) – 2000 on…

Generations

Born between 1927 and 1945, Traditionalists (also known as the Silent Generation) are in their 60s, 70s and 80s. About 95% of Traditionalists are retired from the workforce. Those who are not retired are at or near retirement age and many are working reduced hours.

The Silent Generation

The Silent Generation Characteristics Hardworking Loyal Cherish their jobs One employer their entire work life Great team players Not tech savy Perfer face-to-face interaction Video-conferencing and web-based technology

into the workplace.

The Silent Generation

Baby Boomers

With almost 80,000,000 (USA) born between 1946 and 1964, the Baby Boomer generation is predominately in their 50s and 60s. They are well-established in their careers and hold positions of power and authority.

Baby Boomers

Characteristics Loyal Work-centric Cynical Equate salaries, high billables and long hours with

success Commitment to the workplace Value face time in the office and may not welcome

work flexibility or work/life balance trends High levels of responsibility, perks, praise and

challenges will motivate this generation

Baby Boomers

Famous baby boomers

Carlos Santana Ricardo Darin Bill Clinton

Baby Boomers

Let's see how that breaks down: per year: 4,000,000 per day (4.0 mil / 365):     10,958 per hour (10.6 k / 24): 456 per minute (456 / 60): 7.1 

Baby Boomers

Generation X

Generation X encompasses the 44 to 50 million Americans born between 1965 and 1980. This generation marks the period of birth decline after the baby boom and is significantly smaller than the previous and succeeding generations. Members of Generation X are largely in their 30’s and early 40’s.

Generation X

Generation X Characteristics After witnessing the burnout or layoff of their

hardworking parents, Generation X entered the workplace with different work ethic and culture than previous generations

Break rules for the sake of it Ambitious and hardworking Value work/life balance Dislikes rigid work requirements. Value the freedom to set their own hours. Flexible work

schedules and work-from-home options Entrepreneurial spirit. This generation thrives on

diversity, challenge, responsibility and creative input

Generation X

Generation X Characteristics A hands-off attitude Value freedom and autonomy Prefer to work alone rather than in teams Dislike “meetings about meetings” and

don’t want face time Flexible hours and challenging assignments

will motivate this generation

Generation X

Generation Y

Generation Y

Tech-Savvy: Generation Y grew up with technology and rely on it to perform their jobs better.

Armed with BlackBerrys, laptops, cellphones and other gadgets, Generation Y is plugged-in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Generation Y

This generation prefers to communicate through e-mail and text messaging rather than face-to-face contact and prefers webinars and online technology to traditional lecture-based presentations.

Generation Y

Family-Centric: willing to trade high pay for fewer billable hours, flexible schedules, and a better work/life balance.

Different vision of workplace expectations and prioritize family over work.

Generation Y

Achievement-Oriented:  Not afraid to quit a job Will have had 10 to 14 jobs by the time they retire Generation Y is confident, ambitious and

achievement-oriented. They have high expectations of their employers, seek out new challenges and are not afraid to question authority. Generation Y wants meaningful work and a solid learning curve

Generation Y

Team-Oriented: As children, Generation Y participated in team sports, multiplayer videogames, and other group activities. They value teamwork and seek the input and affirmation of others. Part of a no-person-left-behind generation, Generation Y is loyal, committed and wants to be included and involved.

Generation Y

Attention-Craving: Generation Y craves attention in the forms of feedback and guidance. They appreciate being kept in the loop and seek frequent praise and reassurance. Generation Y may benefit greatly from mentors who can help guide and develop their young careers.

Generation Y

Generation Y

Baby Boomers Generation X Generation Y

78 million 43 million 73 million

Diversity as a cause

Accept Diversity Celebrate Diversity

Idealistic Pragmatic, cynical Optimistic, realistic

Mass movement Self-reliant, individuals

Self-inventive

Conform to the rules

Reject rules Rewrite the rules

Killer job Killer life Killer lifestyle

Became institutions Mistrust institutions Irrelevance of institutions

TV PC Internet

Have tech. Use tech. Assume tech

Task-focused Multitask Multitask fast

Generation to Generation

Lifers?

Stats

marketing campaign for a new product: As a team, you will have to develop a marketing campaign for a new product. You must first think of a name for your product. You’ll have to appeal to generation Y and the Baby Boomers. Develop two different marketing strategies. Be prepared to explain you technique.

Products: A fan An air-conditioner A language course A credit card A broom A cell phone Yerba mate A cell phone application

Production

Generations