Are you challenged or anticipate being challenged by the short attention span of today’s technological generation? Society refers to those born after 1995 as the Linkster Generation. Gen Z was born between 1997 and 2010, Generation Alpha between 2010 and 2024, and now we are debuting Generation Beta.
The whole labeling process is confusing and quite frankly unfair! Not everyone should be judged because they were born within a certain set of years. It’s more about their environment, culture, and influences.
Every generation brings a unique perspective to the workplace. Today’s generation reputedly spends most of their time developing new friends and contacts through various social media. They want to be entertained by fast-paced, interactive content that can harness and retain their attention. Therefore, the challenge becomes: How do you win the “attention competition” over social media?
Conversation skills are probably the number one key element of concern. Small talk has turned into micro-talk. Everything seems to be about bits and bites of language, shortcuts in both the written word and verbal conversation. When a company takes shortcuts, it fails. Today’s students need to understand that the global workplace considers writing and speaking in complete sentences important to gain and maintain a competitive edge, and to be sure the communication is understood by everyone involved.
Perhaps this is why the whole idea of “mindfulness” is gaining popularity. We need to slow down, be mindful of how we communicate, and avoid taking shortcuts. Do you agree?
Please share your thoughts.
