I came across this post discussing the communication techniques of Gen Y and loved the pictures displayed.
Here they all are:
They definitely made some pretty big assumptions here but I think the overall theme works. I wanted to add a bit to the conversation however.
1) Give the Boomers some credit. On the Boomers picture there is no existance of email or even a cell phone on it? Come on…this pic might’ve have been better suited for the ‘Traditionalists‘. Boomers definitely bridge the gap between this Boomer pic and the Gen X pic as most are comfortable with email and cell phones.
I do appreciate the subtle AOL mail icon & beeper on Gen X pic though. Hehe! 
2) Communication reply differences. I’m always intrigued on how people interact with one another so I always ask people, of varying ages, why they do the things they do. Something that I’ve come to realize is Boomers are more likely to expect a response from the place the message was originated. If they called you, they expect a phone call back. If they emailed, email them back! This has shifted for future generations. Gen X & Y can flow in and out of the communications mechanisms and as long as the end result is met, it doesn’t matter how they get there.
3) Face to face always wins but… I say it often but face to face still wins but I’m surprised in the Gen Y area there isn’t a video chat mark between phone calls and face to face. That mechanism works well today (Hell, Oprah is using Skype on her show now) and can really add to an internal meeting or a quick 5 minute interchange between co-workers.
I’m always looking for ways to be a better communicator and we all have our preferences so trying to understand why people do what they do is always an interested topic to me. Do you agree with these pictures? What’s missing?
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