While I’m the first to admit that generational gaps are as much the result of attitude as they are with age, age differences sure makes conversation interesting... if not fun. Just a few weeks ago, Roddy White, wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons, celebrated his 90-yard touchdown run with a somersault. The referees rewarded White with an unsportsmanlike penalty for excessive celebration. (There’s probably another story in there about rules penalizing employees from celebrating but I’ll leave that for another day.) White’s coach, Mike Smith, joked afterwards about how he addressed White for his behavior. Their conversation demonstrates how a simple conversation reveals the most basic gap between generations:
I told him [White] if he's going to do it, it needs to be Olga Korbut. And he looked at me like he doesn't know who Olga Korbut is. Then I told him, 'Well, maybe Mary Lou Retton.' And then I figure that's '86, he doesn't know who Mary Lou Retton is. It went right over his head and my head.
That interchange reminded me about my generational gap “aha” moment. Almost 20 years ago, I was standing in the reception area of my office with my staff. I was sharing how my wife and I had tickets to see Paul McCartney at the old Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. One of my younger employees, probably 19 or 20 years old at the time, responded with “I hate you. I love Wings!” My 40-something office manager jumped in, “Who’s Wings? I never heard of them. You mean the Beatles.” To which, my young assistant said, “I’ve heard about the Beatles, my parents and grandparents listen to them.” The Baby Boomers on my staff were crushed! This was the first of many incidents proving age does matter when communicating with people from different generations. Have any similar stories to share? Post them here!
Email
ShareThis