gen x and y

1. Strategies for Communicating
Effectively with
Generations X and Y
Mary Ellen Campbell
Carol L. Bruneau
The University of Montana
The 5th ABC European Convention
May 28-31, 2003
University of Lugano, Switzerland

2. 2
Gen X - Baby Busters
 1961-1981
 Approximately 20 Million – worth 125
Billion in spending power

3. 3
Gen X Profile
Family Orientated
 Spend more time with family than any
other generation
 They phone home daily
 Individualists
 Skeptics
 Critical of everything

4. 4
Gen X Profile (continued)
 Not brand loyal
 Not confident in themselves
 Underemployed
 “Won’t behave”

5. 5
Gen X Profile (continued)
 Little sense of loyalty to norms,
expectation, organizations, authority
figures
 Tremendous loyalty to peer groups
 Feels the need for excitement; imagines
doing things others wouldn’t dare do

6. 6
Gen X Profile (continued)
 Slightly higher moral and ethical
standards than general population
 Believes in marriage and family
 Optimistic about quality of life
 High suicide rate

7. 7
Gen X Profile (continued)
 “Beasts of Pleasure”
 Think boomers are self-satisfying, self-
appointed, self-righteous people.
 Income:
 Won’t outpace mom and dad
 Real income struggle
 Unhappy that older people won’t retire

8. 8
 Responsible since childhood for adult
decisions
 Global perspectives
 Minimal expectations in terms of work
 Society gives them very little
Gen X Profile (continued)

9. 9
Gen Y Profile
 1979-1994
 Largest group since the Boomers
 3 times larger than Gen X
 71-80 million of them

10. 10
 Culturally diverse
 Interest is flighty
 Confident, Optimistic
 1 in 4 single parent household
 3 in 4 have working mothers- dual
income homes
Gen Y Profile

11. 11
Gen Y Profile (continued)
 Respond to humor – irony
 Risk tolerant
 Volunteer
 MTV culture

12. 12
Gen Y Profile (continued)
 Tech Savvy
 60% use the Internet Daily
 Gadget orientated
 Want to be part of the crowd
 Think of the phone as a person
 First full generation of interactive media

13. 13
Gen Y Profile (continued)
 Like to stay in communication
 1999 AOL Cyber Study
 63% of 9-17 year olds prefer going
online to TV
 52% used “instant messaging”

14. 14
Gen Y Profile (continued)
 Very reliant on the group
 World of no absolutes
 No nuclear families
 Reach out and touch someone

15. 15
Gen Y Profile (continued)
 Realistic View of the World
 Seen flaws in:
 Athletes
 School Systems
 President

16. 16
Using Overlapping
Generational Values to
Influence Learning
Behavior of Gen X
and Gen Y

17. 17
Value: Seeks comfort with those who
share their own values; logos, support
groups.
Pedagogical Implications: Provide an
opportunity for team assignments.
Gen X and Gen Y

18. 18
Value: Indifference to rules and
regulations and what’s appropriate
Pedagogical Implications: Provide an
opportunity to select or define some
aspect of the assignment
Gen X and Gen Y

19. 19
Gen X and Gen Y
Value: Interest in customized,
individualized products, services, and
work environments
Pedagogical Implications: Demonstrate
concern about vocational growth

20. 20
Gen X and Gen Y
Value: Relationship building rather than
belief hierarchical structures
Pedagogical Implications: Demonstrate
interest in their personal life

21. 21
Gen X and Gen Y
Value: Nothing is sacrosanct in business,
government, society
Pedagogical Implications: Develop a
reputation for fairness

22. 22
Gen X and Gen Y
Value: Goals must be internally generated
not externally imposed
Pedagogical Implications: Discuss issues
frankly; ask for opinions and solutions

23. 23
Research
 Questionnaire listing various teaching
techniques
 Likert Scales (6 point)
 Like very much/Dislike very much
 Learn a lot/Learn very little
 Keeps my attention/Is very boring
 Helps me study/Hinders my studying
 Qualitative/open-ended questions

24. 24
Sample
 4 Consumer Behavior classes
 2 from Spring 2002/2 from Fall 2003
 198 surveys, 166 usable
 86 males/79 females
 15 Generation X/151 Generation Y

25. 25
Qualitative Results
 Students claim their favorite classes
have the following characteristics.
 These match with Generations X and Y
values from previous research

26. 26
PERSONAL
 Want to be recognized as individuals
 Want relevant examples
 Want a voice in class decisions
 Want a relationship with professor

27. 27
INTERACTIVE
 Value group interaction
 Class as a social, as well as educational
experience
 Need nonjudgmental sounding board

28. 28
STIMULATING
 Not passive recipients of information
 Must be engaged to comprehend/retain
information
 Want a variety of learning experiences
 Used to being entertained

29. 29
PRACTICAL
 Course work needs to be relevant to
“Real World”
 Want to learn marketable skills
 Want information to be current

30. 30
Quantitative Results
 10 commonly used teaching techniques
 1 = Liked very much
6= Disliked very much

31. 31
Professor Lecturing
Liked 87.95%
Disliked 12.05%
Mean = 2.37
Standard deviation = 1.08

32. 32
Use of PowerPoint Slides in
Professor’s Lectures
Liked 46.34%
Disliked 53.66%
Mean = 3.63
Standard deviation = 1.32

33. 33
Use of Videos
Liked 89.76%
Disliked 10.24%
Mean = 2.15
Standard deviation = 1.16

34. 34
Case Analyses
Liked 66.46%
Disliked 33.54%
Mean = 3.09
Standard Deviation = 1.33

35. 35
Guest Speakers
Liked 95.12%
Disliked 4.88%
Mean = 1.81
Standard deviation = .87

36. 36
Internet Exercises
Liked 55.76%
Disliked 44.25%
Mean = 3.36
Standard deviation = 1.51

37. 37
In-Class Group Discussion
Liked 75.9%
Disliked 24.5%
Mean = 2.74%
Standard deviation = 1.36

38. 38
Semester Group Projects
Like 41.21%
Dislike 58.79%
Mean = 3.98
Standard deviation = 1.61

39. 39
Individual Semester Projects
Liked 60.49%
Disliked 39.51%
Mean = 3.29
Standard deviation = 1.47

40. 40
Working with Organizations
Liked 63.75%
Disliked 36.52%
Mean = 2.99
Standard deviation = 1.50

41. 41
Conclusions
 All aspects of class should contain four
characteristics
 Personal
 Interactive
 Stimulating
 Practical
 Use a variety of teaching strategies

42. 42
Future Research
 Examine other functional areas
 Examine other regions of the U.S.
 Examine other countries
 Examine other disciplines