As Millennials Arrive, Business Communication Needs An Update

Posted on: 24 October 2018

The Millennial generation is quickly aging into positions of power within the workforce, and that means that the world of business communication is undergoing a major shift. Raised with significantly more technology than their predecessors from Gen X and the Baby Boom, they come into jobs with an expectation of speed and efficiency in all their conversations. This can create serious conflict in a corporate environment, but a business communication coach can help members of all generations smooth out their differences. As your organization moves forward, it's important to think about and stay in front of these changes.

A Texting Life in an Email World

Boomers and Gen Xers saw their business lives dominated by phone calls, memos and emails, but for Millennials it can be a major adjustment working within a corporate culture that values a paper and server trail for each piece of communication. They came of age with texting systems and messaging apps that accelerated their interpersonal interactions, and the old way can feel slow and stodgy. In fact, many are likely to only have ever created email addresses to handle the registration of products and accounts, and otherwise they just don't use them for much.

For a firm that depends heavily on email for communication, this often means onboarding Millennials into the world of regular email checking, reading and writing. This means recognizing, foremost, that business communications are intended to be permanent and official records. What they say and how they say it matters, as business memos, emails and phone messages all can be brought up in everything from performance reviews to court proceedings. In plenty of instances, this requires coaching on how to write a proper memo.

Appreciating Technology

One thing that makes life a bit easier working with a Millennial business communication coach is that generation members fully understand the value of technology in a corporate setting. In fact, thanks to constant customer service interactions via apps and websites, they tend to have zero fear of communicating with others electronically.

Engagement and Motivation

A major difference between Millennials and earlier generations is that they want to be engaged and know what should motivate them. Having a job isn't a goal in itself. From a communication perspective, they can be very creative and inclined to not just write rote memos from templates. For stagnating business, Millennial tech savvy can be a source of fresh energy.

For more help with improving business communication, contact a group like Future Image Group.

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