Ryan Henry: At this time I’d like to introduce our speaker today, Britni Eisenmann, who has a Masters in Industrial Organization and Psychology. Is that correct?
Britni Eisenmann: Organizational psychology.
Ryan: And Britni is going to share with us how to communicate across generational lines. So Britni, you have the floor and I will spotlight your video.
Britni: All right, well thank you for having me here today. I’m going to share a small portion of a larger training that I give through my organization. This training is really well liked by supervisors and managers so at the end I’m really interested in how you appreciated it coming from a small business owner point of view, because you’re the first group of small business owners that I’m presenting it to.
So there are four different generations at work. Boomers, Gen X, gen y, Gen Z. So the portion we’re going to talk about today are Gen X and Gen Z. Before we go too far I want to introduce myself, my name is Britni Eisenmann. My company is GenelEvate. This is me at the top left corner giving a TEDx talk.
I am an industrial organizational psychology practitioner. What this means is I understand the internal motivators of your employees your clients and your potential customers. I work alongside HR to get systems to work better based on human behavior. I work to raise retention levels through employee engagement because employee engagement provides a straight line to retention.
So before we get started too much further I’m going to ask you a question, you can either unmute yourself to answer or you can put it in the chat. With everything I ask you today you can do whatever is more convenient for you. If you’d rather turn off your video for this and just use the chat, that’s fine so my question is what is one class that your parent took in middle school or high school that wasn’t offered to you and why do you think that class was no longer needed alternatively if you’d rather talk about a class you took and your kids didn’t take why they didn’t need that class that’s fine as well.
I can talk about a class that I took that my parents never got to take. Okay so I when I first started off in high school, I was about two years dealing with high school already and part of it was I wanted to learn how to program but not necessarily like program computers but programs for people’s minds and it sounds so crazy because like why would you control them right and there there was this, an interactive media class, that kind of put everything together but in a way that what the teacher taught it was that everything we see was a connection to the mind so where where I got involved in that my dad and me just disconnected completely because he’s like you’re gonna do what I say and I’m like no I have control over it now.
Yeah those are good examples. Bill says shorthand. We have a couple home economics and typing and how to use a slide rule. I think I know what a slide rule is but I’m not sure. Those are all good answers and thank you for sharing Daisy as well.
Each new human joins a cohort that has roughly the same experiences and we call these cohorts generations. Each generation is parented similarly, schooled similarly, and lives through the same global events. As these humans grow the lessons they learn they take with them into their workplaces, volunteer places, places of worship, to their hobbies, and the framework they bring with them.
Their viewpoint on how the world should work is a direct result of their parenting and teaching experiences but they still look like aliens to those of us that are already in those spaces even though we’re the ones that raised them and taught them. Further providing the opportunity to misunderstand each other in our shared spaces is our tendency to moralize our own understanding of how the world works. We may treat those who don’t share our viewpoint as someone who is ignorant, to be pitied, lazy or even reckless.
By the end of this training my goal for you is that you’ll have moved past just knowing a few more things about Gen X and Gen Z and that you can take steps toward active compassion for coworkers , supervisors, clients, potential customers, who have generational experiences that are very different from your own.
Jennifer shared “I had a business class that taught me how to write a check balance a checkbook etc my kids didn’t have this offer because they do everything now”. Yes, great example, Jennifer.
All right, first up we’re gonna meet Melissa. Melissa’s a Gen Xer. Melissa’s parents were among the oldest boomers growing up. Her parents both worked nine-to-five jobs so she wore a key on a necklace chain and used it to let herself into her house after school. Melissa remembers one day in particular when she was made fun of on a bus ride home from elementary school she walked into her house sobbing and called her grandma to help her calm down by the time her parents came home she had completely forgotten about the bus incident. Melissa would bike everywhere after school. If she couldn’t find her friends by whose house their bikes were in front of she’d use her family’s cordless wall phone to call around until she located them her bike was kind of old and she often had to fix the chain when it fell off by herself otherwise she wouldn’t be able to get around for the day. She remembers well the advent of MTV and when her family got their first computer the den became the computer room and some of her earliest memories are playing checkers and chess on it when she was bored. Melissa grew up in the time of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. and every year in school her class would go through a DARE curriculum as a response to the crack epidemic. Melissa remembers both of her parents losing their jobs within a year of each other despite them being loyal to their companies and often putting in extra hours at the expense of family time, through this she has learned not to trust what presidents and bosses said when they said things would be fine or that they could make them better as Melissa became a teen her parents implied and sometimes outright told her that she was too cynical and lazy and that she should work harder to get in school and get ahead that said it was often her they leaned on to help her to print things from the family computer or to show them features on their new phones. In college more than once Melissa showed a professor how to work their new digital projector.
Okay, now it’s time for some questions given what we know about Gen X or Melissa. What can we infer about what she’ll expect in her workplace. Is Melissa likely to prefer working in teams or individually and why? Again you can either unmute or put this in the chat, whichever you prefer.
Individually, okay, Daisy’s vote is individually. Ryan says yes, independent, because of technology. Okay you guys are correct. So Melissa is pretty used to getting things done on her own. She spent a lot of time alone when she was young. She can probably fix it or feel like that she can definitely fix it if given the choice. Gen Xers most likely are going to choose to do something individually.
How might you best entice Melissa to purchase your service or product? What will attract Melissa to your company, your service, or your product based on her generation. A customized solution, okay Daisy says a customized solution. What else? Ryan says support to work independently. So give her routes and tools to get her work done independently. What else do you guys think? A system where she can drive solving problems, okay so give her the power to figure this out.
Melissa as a Gen Xer is most likely just to want the bottom line of how you solve her problem because she likes to work independently. She doesn’t have a lot of time to go through all the rigmarole, she wants to know how are you going to solve her problem, what problem does she have and how does your product solve it. She’s likely to prefer a simple to acquire service or product and is simple to use service or product, but if it’s complicated she’ll figure it out as long as she believes that the ROI is high for her.
What does respect look like to Melissa? This is a big question. Showcase what she knows and be able to add some kind of investment into her solution. Okay, so give like her the opportunity to showcase what she knows. Ryan says recognition for her accomplishments. What else? What’s another way that a Gen Xer is most likely going to understand you respect them? Acknowledge their individuality? Ryan says.
Yeah so Melissa wants time and space to figure it out she’s probably going to work more quickly than you think she will but she still wants you to kind of buzz off. Get off her back once you give her the project she can figure it out just kind of get out of her hair and see she also doesn’t want things sugar-coated so her parents don’t like to talk about negativity because they’re boomers. They like to stay positive but to her that felt like they were beating around the bush so she just wants you to give it to her even if it’s going to hurt her or you think it might hurt her.
The CEO of Melissa’s company made a decision she didn’t agree with. Is she likely to invite herself into the CEO’s office to discuss that concern, why or why not? Maybe not the CEO’s office, but she will let somebody know. Okay. Ryan says probably not, easier to find just find another position depending on what else there is. What was that, Daisy? Depending on how invested she is into the company like how engaged she is in the company.
Yeah yeah, so Gen Xers are a little bit like the Eeyore in our organization. They’ve taken a lot of hits throughout their lives and so they’re probably not gonna be super loud about anything but yeah they’ll go find another position. They move about as frequently as Millennials do but they’re smaller so it’s not felt as much by organizations. She’s also not really concerned about what the CEO thinks or what they’ve said they’ve decided because she doesn’t believe the CEO can really solve anything anyway so she’s probably not going to take it too seriously and even if she does she’ll probably just try to figure out a workaround on her own and if she can’t do that she might leave.
If Melissa’s boss gave her a huge new project with ambitious deadline and few resources to complete the project, how is she likely to respond? Challenge accepted. All right, how else? So do you think Gen X is more or less flexible than the generations around them? Ryan made a direct comment about the lack of resources, yeah they’re gonna notice that. Melissa is pretty adaptable if it is what it is she’ll figure it out but yeah she’s gonna make a comment if there are a lack of resources and she just can’t get it done because that doesn’t feel genuine to her, that she’s really being given a chance.
All right, last question on Melissa. Do you think Melissa is more likely to prefer to communicate by phone, in person, email, or text, or blend of some of those? What do you think the best way to communicate with the Gen Xer is? Ryan says email. Email and text. I would say phone. Kim says email and text. So email and phones score very similarly with this generation, both of those are fine ways to communicate with them. They are pretty much email natives so they’re very familiar with that. They prefer text a lot less than Millennials. Millennials adore text, will always text with you, but she will probably prefer email or phone conversation.
Okay Adrian’s mom is Melissa. He watched her and his dad stress about the great recession and he remembers a lot of talk about debt in their family. He has watched his parents get laid off repeatedly. Adrian started his first business when he was 11, a monetized YouTube channel of him and his friends pulling different stunts around town. For example in one episode they hit lots of different items with a bat in the park baseball diamond and filmed in slo-mo to see what it looked like. Teachers talk a lot about safety at school, they have shooter drills and Adrian and his friends talk and even joke about what they’ll do when a shooter comes to their school. He is used to teachers and his parents knowing where he is at all times and what sites he has been on no matter what device he uses.
While some of his homework is still done with pencil and paper, group projects are on Google docs or some kind of app. He has always had a school issued iPad for school work. Adrian knows that each of his parents are still in school. He has little interest in going to a four-year college but might get some kind of degree depending on what seems to be the best financial choice when it’s time to choose. He knows he has to get a head start now on his finances to beat out the competition. He doesn’t want to be dependent on any person or company to make it in life.
Adrian knows all of the statistics on global warming. He wants a career that allows him to help find solutions for underserved and poverty-stricken groups who are negatively impacted by global change already. Today Adrian attends many virtual forums and discussions when time allows on climate change impacts. Adrian is an active member of many different types of groups both online and in real life. He deeply cares about many topics and he couldn’t possibly define himself with just one word or even just with one sentence.
Given what we know about Adrian’s childhood and scholastic experiences, what can we expect about what he’ll expect in his workplace? Is Adrian likely to prefer working in teams or individually and why? Teams because of Google docs. Kim, this is a great question I’m going to answer it toward the end, it’s a very good question. Ryan, he won’t take any crap if the team is working on a common goal, yeah so just like his parents generation, Gen Z really is fine working independently but especially virtually. They’re adept by the time he graduates high school, he will have years of virtual teamwork experience and he’ll be able to seamlessly dive into that at work, but when given a choice he’ll probably prefer individual.
How might you best entice Adrian to purchase your service or product? Think about the world he grew up in and what he cares about. Ryan says social responsibility of the company selling the product, yes how else could you entice him? Make it fun and flexible. Yes, yes, so Adrian deeply cares about equity he does not care what you say about how inclusive or equitable your workplace is he wants to see it and he won’t believe it until he sees it. You can do this by erasing gender pronouns in your marketing, having a diverse c-suite leadership, and actively engaging with your community both online and in real life.
Gen Z is pragmatic and they need to see it to jump on your train but they will happily be your loyal advocate when you show this, that you’re equitable. What does respect look like to Adrian? How do you think Gen Z receives respect? What feels respectful to them? Think about his preferences and what he’s thinking about for his own future. Okay so just like Gen X, Gen Z also wants clear expectations, but Adrian has a little bit more financial anxiety than the generations before him just because of what he was born into and what he saw his parents go through, so he wants to know exactly how he can advance in your organization.
His goal is to be financially independent and safe because he hasn’t seen anybody else do that. He wants you to accept all the sides of him he is not one-sided. His why statement couldn’t possibly be one sentence. He wants you to accept all of him, he wants physical safety: what’s your plan for when there’s a shooter in your building, and he wants financial stability: he wants you to take time for him in person.
So he’s a digital native but he’s not addicted to his devices like Millennials are because he just grew up with them as part of his life so he really loves it when you take time for him face to face and he wants you to show equity. Okay if the CEO makes a decision and Adrian doesn’t like it is Adrian likely to invite himself into the CEO’s office to discuss a concern, and why I didn’t really answer this clearly but I’m interested in what you guys think.
Ryan, he will walk right in or tweet it then, yes yeah he’ll definitely fire off those tweets yeah, any other thoughts on that? Yeah okay so yeah Ryan says oh tweeted him which totally that might happen. However Gen Z is not quite as bold as Millennials so he might not necessarily walk in and say what he thinks to the CEO. He has watched many people get their dirty laundry aired and be canceled online so he kind of expects that at some point you’re going to be toppled so even authority figures that are his age or famous people his age, he doesn’t really trust them or you know he might follow them for fun or like what they say but he doesn’t really trust you. If you’re an authority figure that doesn’t mean he’ll be disrespectful but he just doesn’t necessarily trust you.
Okay, if Adrian’s boss gave him a huge new project with an ambitious deadline and few resources to complete it how is he likely to react so similar to his parents he is probably going to push for some more details because he is an individualist but he’s also more pragmatic less of a cowboy than Gen X so he really wants crystal clear direction as far as what you want this outcome to be and then he can take it or build a team to take it from there. Is Adrian more likely to prefer to communicate by phone, in person, email, or text? This one’s a little complicated so tell me how you think Gen Z is going to end up communicating in our workspaces. Right, text, Daisy says text. Okay so actually Gen Z doesn’t prefer text. Millennials are so far the only generation that adore text. He is really comfortable working with multiple screens not even just two and all kinds of platforms at the same time.
If it’s serious he really loves talking in person he’s very comfortable with video or even image communicating no matter what platform you use. You know whether that’s email or you know Twitter or something like that. He does want your messages to be very clear and short like one sentence at a time. Yeah and that about wraps up that his communication preferences.
Okay so we’re going to do a little activity before the last slide. Let me check my time, okay we’re going to do a tiny activity then the last slide and then I’m going to give you guys a tool to take away from here. I’m going to give you some statements and comment or chat, put an x if this is probably Gen X and put a z if this is probably Gen Z.
– The lion king the animated version is a very old movie.
Gen X or Gen Z? It’s more likely to make this statement Gen Z. Yep that’s Gen Z, that’s an easy one I gave you guys.
– If a brand’s marketing promotes machismo or racism, i’ll completely stop promoting the brand.
Gen X or Gen Z? Gen Z. Oh and Tony says both, yes I’m sure there’s yeah a good chunk of the Gen Xers that like that too.
– I am a generalist I can figure out just about anything and I use that to get ahead.
Gen X or Gen Z? Yes Gen X. You guys are right.
– I am active in many different kinds of groups; I have more than one identity.
Gen X or Gen Z? Yeah, Gen Z. You guys are nailing these.
– Sometimes I feel like a middle child at work translating between the two generations that are on either side of me.
Which generation is more likely to feel like a translator or a middle child at work? Yup this is Gen X.
Okay let’s move on to the next slide. This is our last slide here. Some takeaway things that I just want to make sure you hear from me is that understanding is more important than knowledge. Understanding that generational experiences shape your co-workers or customers expectations of work helps you show them compassion and grace before they put in the work to earn that from you. And stereotyping the person in front of you is a person, not a stereotype. Not everyone is shaped by their shared generational experiences in the exact same way. Your understanding that their expectations of work are tied to their past experiences as a starting place, but once you get to know someone’s personality often those factors loom larger than their generation and communication.
Your ability to frame the workplace expectations of your peers, supervisors, and clients through the lens of their generational experiences can lend itself to more seamless communication and fewer misunderstandings and, I propose, can help you with retention and with sales. Okay so I’m going to share a link to you all, this is a tool, this is in my Google drive so you can just copy this and save it for yourself. I always give this out at the end of the training, it includes all of the generations, so find your generation. Find your generation and then read through the paragraph under it and then I’m interested in discussion on that and I’ll answer any questions you have while you’re doing that.
Kim had a question about the birth dates of Gen Z and especially with the pandemic this is getting a little wavy. They’re kind of reconsidering the birth date for them, the generation after Gen Z are considered Alpha but with the pandemic, because those experiences in school are going to so solidify with these kids and you know one year their life is 10 or more already, their lives and their brains are developing it’s likely that that tail end birth date is going to change so right now they’re saying the beginning of Gen Z is about 1997, and the end they used to stay pretty firmly as 2012. now I’m seeing more that they’re thinking about expanding it to 2015. So you know this generation’s still pretty young, the oldest are just about 25 this year so they’re definitely the youngest ones that are in our workplaces, so their preferences as more of them join work, we’ll see stronger trends in their preferences. Kim does that answer your question? Feel free to shoot it back at me but those are my thoughts on that.
Was everybody able to get to that tool that I linked? Yes? Okay yes. All right, what strikes you on that is interesting or what do you disagree with? I love hearing about when somebody has a pushback that helps me make this training better. Oh it’s nice to hear about gen Gen Z for you know a change because Millennials have entered middle age, we’re we’re no longer the young people just coming into the workplace so you know traditionally when you think of any kind of workplace training or understanding your co-workers it’s usually a boomer screaming that it’s Millennials being lazy and they’ve completely missed that a lot of us are hitting 40 soon. Yeah when Gen Z was on the beaches at the beginning of the pandemic and everybody was like these Millennials, I was like that’s the wrong group. Yeah so I’m a cusper so I have a lot of Gen X factors like I’m super independent. I would totally rather be independent but Millennials love teamwork and yeah it’s just interesting to be kind of on the edge of two different generations and see how that works but yeah I’m totally sensitive about millennial stuff .
All right, well thank you everybody I really appreciate your attendance and if you have thoughts and feedback, feel free to email me or shoot me a message on LinkedIn. Thank you!
