Building Bridges Across The Generational Divide: Our increasingly diverse society is reflected in our growing workforce. For the first time in our lifetime we have the potential of working with four different generations in the same workplace. Each generation communicates, interacts with others and is motivated by a different set of values. As this dramatic shift continues, organizations large and small must continue to strive to help all employees embrace and capitalize on their differences. In this presentation led by Brian Smith - a leading authority on soft-skills training and leadership development - you will explore ideas and innovations to help address those differences, and create healthy and productive interactions in the workplace. This presentation provides valuable insights into how to build collaborative teams, reduce conflict, problem solve, communicate and listen more effectively and deal with difficult people and challenging situations better.

1. Building Bridges
Across The Generational Divide
How to Develop a Collaborative
and Cohesive Multi-Generational Team
Brian Smith 1

2. “The events and conditions each
of us experience during our
formative years help define who
we are and how we view the
World and our place in it”
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3. Sit Down if You Remember
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4. Sit Down if You Remember
• How to save a file on a floppy disc
• Having an 8 track player
• How to send a hard copy fax
• When Napster was cutting edge
• Walkmans
• How to record on a VHS tape
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5. Sit Down if You Remember
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6. Generational Gap
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7. Why Bother?
• Better understand the Generational
impact in the workplace
• Communicate and interact more
effectively across all Generations
• Promote teamwork and build
collaborative teams
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8. Different Strokes
• Baby Boomers - 1946 to 1966
(Age 2011 from 45 - 65)
• Generation X – 1966 to 1976
(Age in 2011 from 35 to 45)
• Generation Y – 1977 to 1994
(Age in 2011 from 17 to 35)
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9. Boomers
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10. Boomers
The Baby Boom Generation
• Leadership Style: Consensual / Collegial
• Interaction: Team Player / Love Meetings
• Communication: In person
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11. Also Take Note
• Love titles – recognition
• Money is power
• Buy now – pay later
• Education is a birth right
• Traditional family model breaks down
• Need to know they are valued
• Known as the “Me” Generation
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12. Boomer Values
• Optimism
• Team Orientation
• Personal Gratification
• Involvement
• Personal Growth
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13. Generation X
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14. Generation X
The Forgotten Generation
• Leadership: Everyone equal /
challenge status quo
• Interaction: Entrepreneurial
• Communication: Direct / immediate
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15. Also Take Note
• Freedom best reward
• Latch Key Kid Generation
• Money cautious – save – save – save
• Education is a way to get “there”
• Sorry to interrupt – “But how am I doing?”
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16. Generation X Values
• Diversity
• Techno literacy
• Fun and informality
• Self-reliant – Autonomy
• Pragmatism
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17. Generation Y
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18. Generation Y
The Millennial's / Nexters
• Leadership Style: To be determined
• Interaction: Participative
• Communication:
Facebook, Twitter, smart phone
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19. Also Take Note
• Meaningful work
• Instant gratification
• Work with other bright creative people
• Work where they want to work
• Earn to spend
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20. Generation Y Values
• Optimistic
• Civic Duty
• Confident
• Achievement Oriented
• Respect for diversity
• Socialpreneurs
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21. Generation Z
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22. Generation Z
The Connected Generation
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23. Gen Z – Generation Next
• The Googleized Generation
• Multi-tasking is a way of life
• Wants instant gratification
• Good at processing information
• First generation to grow up totally digital
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24. Are You Ready?
The Biggest Workforce Shift in 100 Years
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25. Team Building
Worth Remembering …
“You don’t have to socialize with them –
you just need to learn how to work with
them”
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26. Build Relationships
• Rapport:
• Relationship:
• Respect
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27. Managing Millennial’s
• Provide structure
• Provide leadership & guidance
• Listen more than you talk
• Embrace their can-do attitude
• Challenge them to learn more – do more and
be more
• Provide life-work balance
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28. Influence of Social Media
“Individual action and social media
will be drivers of social change”
ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iReY3W9ZkLU
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29. Silent Majority?
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30. Cisco Results
• Online communication overtaking face-to-face
as primary method of interpersonal
communication
• Expectation of the next workforce is
increasingly emphasizing work
flexibility, mobility & non-traditional work
styles
• Attitudes towards information access , mobile
devices and SM will influence the future of
work from lifestyles to corporate cultures.
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31. Social Goes Global
• 50% of the Worlds population is under 30
• 96% of Millennials have joined a social
network like Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook
• Facebook tops Google for weekly traffic
• Gen Y and Z consider email passé’
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32. It’s Not a Fad
• Fasting growing segment using FB is
females 55 to 65 years old
• Youtube is second largest search engine
• There are now over 200,000,000 Blogs
• Schools stopped issuing email accounts –
issue i-pads, laptops & e-readers instead
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33. Fundamental Shift
• Wikipedia has over 15 million articles –
78% are not in English
• Kindle e-books out sold paper back
• Traditional newspapers are a dying breed
• 60 million status updates daily on FB
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34. Changing Your World
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35. Thank You
I hope you got your WIIFM today.
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. Linkedin Group – http://linkedin.com/in/briansmithpld
. The Blog: - http://briansmithpld.com/brian-smith-pld-blog/
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