Is it a “Millennial thing” or a “refusal to communicate thing?”
In my short but long career, I have found that kind, thoughtful, respectful communication seems to work with all generations. I have found that leadership seems to happen in all generations. I have found there to be successful people in every generation. So is there an issue or are all other generations so egotistical that they have the right to actually describe Millennials as they have? So what is the real issue? Is it simply, that a person from one generation does not have the same life experiences, therefore, handles themselves and their communication differently than you do if your not from that generation? Perhaps “labeling’ them is the first disrespectful thing we have done? Maybe our egos have made us so important that we are able to justify that the millennials need to be studied and examined like some alien life force so we can figure out how to communicate with them? “DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH” as Chris Rock would say.
As with most issues, communication seems to be a real problem. Clear, concise, REAL communication. Unfortunately, all of us have come up with the ultimate excuse not to communicate, “damn millennials”. Instead of just treating them like the intelligent fast communicating humans they are. With any issue, many times, it comes down to, “are they human’ as my colleague Dr. McCalla would ask me. If they are then they deserve good communication. In my experience, if you are clear and thoughtful in your communication skills you will have success. If you enter a conversation with the absolute best intentions a good outcome usually results.
Communication consists of two parts, listening and/or reading and speaking and/or writing, the later of both seems to be what most want to do. Listening is a real skill. It takes practice discipline and work. Trust me I am formulating my response when I see someone roll their eyes. Listening is impossible to do if you are only trying to prove a point, or get your way. So first listen then clarify and then think before a response, sounds simple and impossible to do.
The only difference between me and those damn millennials is that they are running an Intel Core I9-7980Xe processor and I am still using my 486X…