STRESS MANAGEMENT Signs of Stress and Imbalance How To Break Through Fear in Turbulent Times What is Stress? Solving Problems in a High-Stress Environment Break Through Self-Doubt & Fear Let's Get Physical Holiday Stress Hotspots Make 2004 your Year of Organization Holiday Stress Hotspots Manage Stress by Stopping Obsessive or Unwanted Thoughts Meditate Stress Away Taking Stress for a Ride 3 Strategies to Reduce Stress Cleaning Up Stress; Control It, Change It or Let It Go! Substance Abuse The Courage to Feel Bad The Challenge of Change Tips for Managing Holiday Madness Modern Day Stressors: What Stress Looks Like in the 21st Century The Life Juggle: How to Find Lifework Balance New Year's Resolutions   CHANGE The Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves about Change The Top Ten Ways to Manage People through Change Understanding Change The Challenge of Change   RUNNING A BUSINESS Be Heard. Be Strong. Be Effective. How to Deliver Impressive Presentations Getting Started in the Speaking Business: Answers to Burning Questions What Entrepreneurs Need to Know to be Successful How to Create and Maintain Culture as You Grow Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Candidates   DIVERSITY A Passion for Diversity Traits of a Diverse Organization Simma's Holiday Diversity Q and A How to Go from Eggshell Walking to Multicultural Festivity Making Are You Wasting Your Money on Diversity Training? Interview Bias: Overcoming the Silent Forces Working Against You How to Help LGBT Employees Help Your Organization Grow How to Integrate Diversity Into Your Business Strategy Diversity Benefits Organizations and Communities Diversity Fast Facts How to Integrate Diversity 10 PC Tips for Communicating with a Diverse Audience Are You Truly Successful? Interviewing Employees Who Stay Wage and Position Disparity Across Gender What Every Consultant Needs to Know About Diversity Consulting and Training Diversity Competency Assessment Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Candidates Understanding Diversity Dialogues Dialogue as a Communication Tool Amongst Diverse Groups of People Communicating across Generations in the Workplace Simma & Kate's Strategies for Cross-Generational Relationship Building Valuing Diversity during the Holidays   COMMUNICATION Understanding Dialogue: A Q&A on the benefits of dialogue Dialogue as a Communication Tool Communication with Concern Helping Others Deal with Loss 10 PC Tips for Communicating with a Diverse Audience Tips for Better Communication Between Men and Women in the Workplace Understanding Diversity Dialogues Dialogue as a Communication Tool Amongst Diverse Groups of People Simma & Kate's Strategies for Cross-Generational Relationship Building Web Site Tips   GENDER COMMUNICATION Differences in Male and Female Communication Styles Gender Communications Differences and Strategies Wage and Position Disparity across Gender Tips for Better Communication between Men and Women in the Workplace   WORK/LIFE BALANCE Life/Work Balance in the Real World New Year's Resolutions: A New Approach? Working with Loved Ones: Leverage Potential and Avoid Pitfalls Modern Day Stressors: What Stress Looks Like in the 21st Century The Life Juggle: How to Find Lifework Balance   RESTAURANT & HOSPITALITY All in the Family Are You Truly Successful? How to Create and Maintain the Culture of Your Restaurants Let's Get Physical Meditate Stress Away Taking Stress for a Ride The Challenge of Change 3 Strategies to Reduce Stress Cleaning Up Substance Abuse   FEAR & SELF-DOUBT Break Through Self-Doubt & Fear Substance Abuse The Courage to Feel Bad

Communicating across Generations in the Workplace By Simma Lieberman and Kate Berardo. Issues of race, gender, culture, and sexual orientation have dominated the diversity arena for some time, leaving lurking in the darkness a difference that causes daily miscommunication and prevents untold numbers of relationships from being built: generational differences. The unsung hero of difficulty, communication across generations is often fraught with assumptions, frustrations, and misunderstanding. Why Generational Differences Matter The environment that surrounded you as you grew up shaped your life in more ways than you may realize. World events, like wars, depression, or conversely economic prosperity, shape generations. So does technological change--did you grow up with the radio, TV, computer, or iPod as your electronic of choice? Music, politics of the time, ideas about what it means to be a family--these too shape how different generations view and appreciate the life around them. Translated into workplace terms, this often means different values, ideas, work ethics, attitudes toward authority, and outlooks on life. Though the U.S. workplace culture values speed ("time is money") and hard work, just how fast you work and what is hard work, will be subject to generational interpretation. This means the possible combinations of inter-generational conflict can be great. Common complaints you hear from older generations about younger generations are that they are speed-obsessed, too casual and informal, unappreciative of traditional ways of doing things, and technology dependent (as in, they don't value face-to-face communication enough). On the flip side, you can hear younger generations complaining that older generations are out-of-date, stuck in their ways, too stiff, and completely computer unsavvy (as in, they won't IM with me and take too long to respond to my emails). Many generations feel like they are not respected by other generations, and often that they are discriminated against because of their age (age bias). In the article below, we highlight our best tips for working across such generational differences. But before we do that, we need to add one final point. Generational differences exist among a field of differences, including race, gender, sexual orientation and culture. These other differences need to be taken into consideration. Some cultures, for example, value youth, while others value the wisdom of old age. Look at how older family members are treated within a family to get an idea of the predominant value in different cultures: are older family members put in old-folk homes when they need assistance or are they cared for by family members? Like all difference, generalizations about generational differences should be used only as guidelines to help you understand what might be preventing understanding. You goal should be to move from the categories (be it, white, gay/lesbian, Korean, or Baby Boomer) to the people themselves (Samantha, Chung, Mr. Yamamoto, and Consuela) quickly and accurately. Simma Lieberman Associates offers generational programs that include topics like What Generation Xers value, Speaking so Boomers will hear you, and Managing Nexters. To learn how understanding the generational divide can improve productivity and work relationships, contact Simma directly at (510)-527-0700. Simma Lieberman works with people and organizations to create environments where people can do their best work. She specializes in diversity, gender communications, life-work balance and stress, and acquiring and retaining new customers. Kate Berardo is an intercultural trainer and consultant who specializes in programs on cross-cultural awareness, international relocation, and multicultural teambuilding. She is the founder of the global resource site Culturosity.com and co-author of Putting Diversity to Work. www.culturosity.com. You may reprint these articles free of charge, on a non-exclusive basis, provided that Simma Lieberman's name and contact information are included. She would love to know that you plan to use her article(s); please contact her to let her know. Call Simma at 510.527.0700 or Email simma@simmalieberman.com Visit her website at www.simmalieberman.com FREE subscription to the Lieberman Learning Letter Receive a monthly e-newsletter with tips from Simma's workshops and programs. Topics include diversity, stress management, gender communications, and work life balance. Email:   Back to top

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