{"id":5111,"date":"2014-04-14T10:00:16","date_gmt":"2014-04-14T14:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=5111"},"modified":"2018-08-08T11:49:47","modified_gmt":"2018-08-08T15:49:47","slug":"bridging-the-gap-five-tips-to-harness-generational-diversity-in-the-public-relations-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2014\/04\/14\/bridging-the-gap-five-tips-to-harness-generational-diversity-in-the-public-relations-field\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging the Gap: Five Tips to Harness Generational Diversity in the Public Relations Field"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Photo Courtesy of http:\/\/www.visioncreation.co.uk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This post is part of diversity series for Progressions.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cOur generation will be the one hiring you someday,\u201d my parents reminded me for the millionth time, slipping a final snippet of professional advice into our dinner conversation.<\/p>\n

We were discussing the controversial issue of tattoos and piercings in the workplace \u2014 and not making much headway \u2014 when I first recognized that generational diversity existed and mattered.<\/p>\n

In \u201cMoving Beyond the Hype of Generational Diversity,\u201d<\/a> Jamie Notter explains generational diversity as the differences experienced \u201cbased on broad variations in values that develop based on the contrasting environment and social dynamics each generation experiences as they come of age.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although we would like to brush off many generational opinions or tendencies as mere stereotypes, it\u2019s to our own benefit that we pay attention to them. As Millennials preparing to enter the public relations field, we need to understand the beliefs and expectancies that other generations may bring to the table.<\/p>\n

Here are a few valuable tips I\u2019ve picked up from my more seasoned coworkers and supervisors:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You\u2019ll never regret bringing a pen and notepad. <\/b>What if your iPhone has no service when you go on a client visit? What if your tablet runs out of battery? Members of Generation X tend to be more suspicious of technology, leading them to always be prepared with a tech-free backup plan.<\/li>\n
  2. Don\u2019t let glitzy technology substitute for a strong message. <\/b>You can only woo your boss with fancy apps and programs for so long. Becoming a Prezi guru won\u2019t help you much if you don\u2019t have anything worthwhile to say. Make sure to focus first on developing the message, then how to best communicate it.<\/li>\n
  3. Phone calls can get you a faster answer. <\/b>Although our generation isn\u2019t as prone to dial our coworkers, phone calls can be more efficient than a long email chain. Plus, sending an email allows someone to reply at his or her own leisure, whereas calling someone requires instant feedback.<\/li>\n
  4. Always send a thank you note. <\/b>Not a thank you email, nor a thank you text. Even the most proactive Generation X members will appreciate hearing of your gratitude through this old-fashioned method. For more on this, see the tip below.<\/li>\n
  5. Never underestimate the power of good manners. <\/b>The one business tactic that garners universal respect is politeness. Pay attention to the way you talk to your coworkers, but pay extra attention to how you treat the delivery guy or the waitress at your business outing. Your superiors will notice!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0What have you learned from observing other generations in the workplace?<\/b><\/p>\n

    \u00a0Laura Daronatsy is a sophomore public relations student at Biola University. She is the 2014-2015 vice president-elect of Biola PRSSA and can be found on Twitter <\/i>@lauradaronatsy<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This post is part of diversity series for Progressions. \u201cOur generation will be the one hiring you someday,\u201d my parents reminded me for the millionth time, slipping a final snippet of professional advice into our dinner conversation. We were discussing the controversial issue of tattoos and piercings in the workplace \u2014 and not making much headway \u2014 when I first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":5116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2893,1555,14],"tags":[2221,703,1737,1738,1409,15,40,422,1411],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5111"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5111"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8901,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5111\/revisions\/8901"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}