Are you questioning why it’s seemingly so hard to communicate with your twenty-something employee? What about the new, young parent who demands information yesterday? The answers and solutions that generational expert Jason Dorsey will provide STN EXPO attendees might be a surprise.
For starters, Gen Y or “millennials” aren’t as tech savvy as they might appear to be. But they definitely are tech-dependent. He said Gen Y members don’t know what they cannot do, so they’re leveraging technology to do it. With that, however, come many distractions. And he’ll explain why Baby Boomers don’t go anywhere without a pen.
“When we look at technology, what we also see is every generation has a different relationship with it,” he told STN. “We’ll be speaking to that.”
Blue Bird Corporation and ROUSH CleanTech announced last month that they are sponsoring an interactive and “provocative” keynote presentation by Dorsey the evening of July 28 during the 21st Annual STN EXPO.
Dorsey, himself, is a member of the so-called “Gen-Y” or “millennial” set who were born between the years 1977 and 2000. He told STN that peoples’ viewpoints differ not only because of the generation they grew up in but also because of where they grew up and their experiences along the way.
jason-dorsey2″When we talk about generations, (those) are not a box that all of us fit neatly inside based on our birth year. What generations absolutely are, are really powerful clues on where to start to better connect with and influence people of different ages, older and younger,” Dorsey noted.
He has appeared on Fox News, The Today Show, 20-20, The View and CBS Early Morning, as well as in the Wall Street Journal and Fortune magazine, to share his insights on the generational divide and how it affects culture and business alike. He’s also written five books on the subject, his first at the age of 18 while a junior in college — yes, college. Dorsey also writes for Success Magazine.
Dorsey, now 35, also runs the Center for Generational Kinetics, which aggregates and analyzes data from organizations to shed light on multi-generational issues in the workplace, at school or in the community. He will provide insights into why Baby Boomer transportation supervisors, for example, might have challenges understanding why younger employees do what they do — or don’t do — as well as dealing with parents in their 20s and early 30s.
“It’s really important that, when you look at generations, the most significant trend is parenting,” he told STN. “It’s not just about connecting with today’s parents and then helping them to become an advocate for school transport, but it’s also understanding the role that parenting plays in how we are all shaped.”
He added that his presentation wil share strategies that help bridge all generations, regardless if they are the students on the bus, the bus driver, the parent, the transportation supervisor or a school board member.
More information on Dorsey as well as conference registration can be found at stnexpo.com.
Following Dorsey’s July 28 keynote, Blue Bird and ROUSH are hosting a reception for registered EXPO conference attendees.
