On Wednesday, April 1, the GCSU School of Continuing and Professional Studies hosted an event called “Communication Across Generations” from 5-6 p.m. in the A&S auditorium in collaboration with the Milledgeville Baldwin Chamber of Commerce.
This event included an interactive panel discussing cultural, social and digital barriers between generations like Gen Z, Millennials and Boomers. These lessons were intended to provide insight into how, despite these barriers, intergenerational relationships can strengthen communications in the workplace and everyday life.
Each member of the panel took turns sharing their experiences, from digital mannerisms to the rise of social media to the age when they got their own cellphone. The older generations recalled first having a flip phone in their twenties, while the younger generations reported having an iPhone in their teens or earlier.
The event had four speakers from different generations. The panel included Bruce Hood (Boomer), Damita Jones (Gen X), Gil Pound (Millennial) and Leah Frazier (Gen Z). Students were encouraged to share their experiences, ask questions, gain practical knowledge and learn how to be a more effective communicator.
The speakers were also available after the event was over to answer any additional questions and give advice. Bruce Hood, who was part of the panel as a representative for the Boomer generation, said that the event deepened his understanding of human communication.
“I think [the event] highlights the importance of communication across generations,” he said.
Hood said that his own professional experiences have helped him recognize these differences, as well as reflect on the past.
“I have young employees that work for me sometimes, and sometimes they communicate a little differently,” he said. “I get it, because I grew up before email was even around.”
Students from a variety of majors were in attendance. Griffin Johnson, a senior MIS (Management Information Systems) and accounting major, said that he noticed a large gap between generations.
“I thought there was a big gap between generations and seeing how we communicate with each other,” Johnson said. “This gap is present, and we have to understand there’s different ways we communicate.”
Johnson’s observation reflects the event’s goal, which was to bridge this gap despite generational differences. Janelle Tyler, a sophomore fine arts major, said that each generation has its own unique experiences. Like Johnson, she believes collaboration strengthens interpersonal relationships across generations.
“I think a lot of different generations kind of hold a superiority complex as to what they had to go through and how they understand the world,” Tyler said. “Communicating with people from different generations helps us understand these differences and work together better.”
The event included light-hearted games, including one where members of the panel were presented with a series of text messages and had to guess which generation wrote each one. There was also an in-depth explanation of each generational era. During this part, the presentation of the slides was informative as to what each era was like and accurately depicted the events that shaped each one.
At the event, students listened to the stories of different generations and applied practical knowledge to their academic and personal development. Students had the opportunity to build stronger connections outside of their generation and reflect on the social, cultural and digital differences that shaped each generation.
The panel supported these connections by providing a detailed yet concise summary of the four generations. For more information about the GCSU School of Continuing and Professional Studies, students can visit frontpage.gcsu.edu.