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Communicating With Different Generations In A Twitter World
When I talk with businesses about communicating with clients, I find that many people don't grasp that communication is an evolving thing. The rules of communication for one decade do not necessarily transfer through to a new decade. If people want to communicate effectively to the maximum possible audience, they need to observe the changing trends and adapt their style to suit the situations.
So has communication really changed? To help explore this, let's look at the categories of Radio Agers (born before 1946), Baby Boomers (1947-1963), Gen X (1964-1978) and Gen Y (1979-1994). These categories describe the personalities of people born in those generations. While simplistic, these categories give us some clues about the communication experiences and influences of each generation.
If we start with Radio Agers these people grew up listening to radio broadcasts. Their kids' shows were things like "The Argonauts" and they had to focus carefully on the radio to keep track of the broadcast. Schooling was regimented and harsh. Kids sat at desks in neat rows and were caned for the smallest infringement such as talking in class. They used slide rules to help them calculate. Information was contained in Encyclopaedias or books controlled by librarians or teachers. Most families did not have telephones in their homes they relied on telegrams and letters to communicate. Latin was taught in schools.
Moving onto the Baby Boomers, we move into the TV generation. Kids watched shows like "Gilligan's Island" and "Happy Days" broken by regular advertisements attention moved into 10-minute sections. Schools were more flexible and discussion of topics was encouraged. Calculators made their appearance for senior years of school and most homes had a telephone in their home. Books were more affordable, but libraries were still the main source of information. Grammar & spelling were important subjects.
Generation X people grew up with Sesame Street attention moved to 3-5 minute blocks with lots of colour and movement in short sound bites. Calculators were allowed through most levels of school, and many kids had home desktop computers. Computer games started to become popular and the rich had mobile phones (the size of briefcases). Schools were more flexible and interactive encouraging self-growth. Information started to become more accessible. Emails arrived with a lovely "You've got mail" announcement. Brochure style websites were the norm. Prose and composition were important spelling lost ground.
Generation Y people grew up with the Teletubbies even more colour and movement than Sesame Street in 1-2 minute blocks. Mobile phones were the norm, as were home computers and laptops. Information was freely available. People text & email rather than send letters so communication shortens. Classrooms were free form, with changing desk layouts depending on the activity. Kids were encouraged to speak, debate and question. Every class has regular "computer time" as most projects were researched from the net. Forums and blogs make their appearance. Spelling was not emphasised past core levels.
OK so we can see that different generations have faced different communication influences. But what does that mean for communicating in a Twitter world?
The temptation is to say that only if you communicate to Generation Y's that you need to adapt your communication styles and approaches to match their influences. This can't be further from the truth.
Each generation adapts the new technology to suit their needs. They just use and apply the technology through their historical and developmental filters. What that means is Radio Agers value family and loyalty so they use technology to stay connected with people and places that are important to them. Many retirement villages now have computer rooms built into them so the Radio Age inhabitants can Skype or email their grandkids.
Baby Boomers work hard/play hard. They use technology as a form of recreation and to relax. The fastest growing segments on many of the Social Media such as Facebook and Twitter are Baby Boomers keeping in touch with friends and colleagues.
Gen Xers see technology as a way of making things easier and as a way to research things. Gen Ys see technology as a means of communication. They see it as a way of collaborating, expressing themselves and sharing their views.
So what does that mean for businesses trying to communicate in a Twitter world? It means that different people are looking for different things from your website and technology. It means that you need to identify who your key audience is and match your communication style and approach to meet their needs.
It means you need to provide options that connect people, provides data and information, that have a fun element and that allow sharing of views.
It also means watching the trends for the next wave of communication changes, and working out how each generation will apply those changes through their values.
You have to remember, that technology such as Twitter is just a tool to enhance communication it is how that the tool is used that is the important thing for business.
About the Author Ingrid Cliff is a freelance writer and the Chief Word Wizard of Heart Harmony - a writing services studio that helps put your business into words. For a free copy of the "7 Secrets of Compelling Copy & Powerful Words" visit her website www.heartharmony.com.au .
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