The Effect of Age on Communication

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Sir Richard Branson said “Don’t be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.” (Branson). Failing at communication is not something that anyone wants to do but can be a great learning experience if happens. Failing at communication is not discriminatory it affects us all. However, does age have an effect on communication? What are some characteristics of a generational era and some examples? Does technology play role in how one communicates today and does it affect our communication skills?
Effect of Age on Communication
Age and communication do they affect each other or are we the listener, of different ages, receive information differently? One can perceive that they do affect each other. People of different ages have a different “lingo”. If a twenty year old stands in front of an audience of sixty plus year olds, the words and nonverbal cues the twenty year old uses may not be something an audience of that age group understands. An article in Forbes Magazine stated “We surveyed Fortune 500 executives across the country and found that 80% of them find communication across generations to be a most challenging issue in the workplace.” (Weiss para 2). So age does have a large effect on communication and its barriers.
Generational Characteristics
Being part of the Generation X (1960-1980) some characteristic that show up are, being a “latch key kid”, skeptical, desiring directness, and independent (Kersten para 17-19). Divorce among the parents of this generation is also common and it fits like a shoe for this one. Some personal characteristics that may not apply to everyone in this generation are the want to know everything and will ask questions until satisfied with the answer. Technology can be good but i...

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...ogy that is always emerging. Also, learned how important it is to study the younger generation so as to know how to speak with them and their preferred method of receiving data, whether it is text, email, or instant messaging

Works Cited

Richard Branson. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved December 21, 2013, from

BrainyQuote.com Web site:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/richardbra452112.html

Kersten, Denise. 15 Nov 2002. Today’s Generation Face New Communication Gaps. Retrieved http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/jobcenter/workplace/communication/2002-11- 15-communication-gap_x.htm
Weiss, Scott. 16 May 2012. Generation Gap: How Technology Has Changed How We Talk
Work. Par 2 and 13. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/05/16/generation-gap-how-technology-has-changed-how-we-talk-about-work/2/

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