Generational Communication

Does our age or social generation have any influence on how we communicate as leaders? I do believe that our age and social generation has a tremendous influence on how we communicate as leaders. If this were erroneous, I would be chiseling this information on to a cave wall, using crude pictures instead of words and you, the reader, would grunt to validate your understanding or groan to indicate your confusion.

In the article, Communication and Leadership, the author suggests that we rely on experiences from our past to connect information we receive in our present. (CITATION) In view of the fact that each generation is defined by different life experiences, historic events, and technological advancements, it goes without saying that each generation will have different leadership traditions when sending and receiving communications. I think a perfect illustration of this is seen in the difference between Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chats and Barak Obama’s use of the social networking site, Twitter. With either President, the messages conveyed regarded the health of the United States; the medium used to deliver the message, however, was vastly different. Those receiving the message also used experiences from their past to interpret the messages. My parents, for instance, found little comfort in a President who used a social media site to convey his message. My teen-aged children, on the other hand, were much more receptive to the message.

To understand, completely, the difference between my parent’s reaction to Obama’s message and that of my teen-aged children, one must understand the differences between the socially defined generations. One must consider historic events, available technologies, and social custom...

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...eetings. It does not matter if the meeting task place across the table or across the world via teleconferencing, we must be able to control our verbal and non-verbal communications.

It seems that as technologies advance and we become more global in our work forces, composing a well-written piece of material is going to be very vital. The globalization of work forces means that more and more people are going to be working in satellite locations, far from the face-to-face scrutiny of peers and bosses. I think, globalization will make it cost prohibitive to conduct most business in person. Managers will be required to hire, discipline, and terminate employees using written mediums. However, I think, globalization will not eliminate the need for oral communication. Consequently, it will also be imperative to have high-quality oral communication skills as well.