Posted on April 11, 2017 by in Technology, opinion // 0 Comments
By Vincent Ivan Phipps, M.A., CSP (Certified Speaking Professional)
According to Forbes.com, by the end of 2017, Millennials will make up 38% of today’s workforce. By 2020 (a mere 13 years from today), they will make us approximately 70%!
Millennials are at the apex of the social media movement. A Boomer may argue, who needs social media. A Gen-X may argue, that social media has it’s place but cannot replace the personal touch. A Millennial has always had social media as part of their world, therefore they see it being connected with their professional future.
Boomers, remember who your parents may not have had a car yet, you could only see your future with a car. Gen – X, remember when your house had one phone now you see every person you know needs their own personal phone. Then can you blame Millennials? They see Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram as the same type of development tools.
Our office conducted a generational communication experiment. With almost 100 total participants, we had an almost perfect disparity of having approximately 33% of each generation being represented. Ninety-one of Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 – 1964, or ages 53 – 71) said if social media existed during their teens and twenties, they would have used it. Of those Boomers involved in the survey, 79% said they were currently active on at least two different social media mechanisms. Those same Boomers had similar feelings about what they are seeing from the social media sites from today’s Millennials. If you are a Millennial, consider that Gen – X and Boomers are saying about the Millennial generation when they look at your social media pages:
- Stop taking selfies for your professional pictures.
- Stop taking mirror pictures for your professional profiles and avatars.
- Stop making negative comments about others.
- Stop taking pictures with negative images.
- Stop posting personal content on LinkedIn.
- Start dressing up for your pictures (at least from the neck up).
- Start grooming your hair and face.
- Start smiling.
- Start sharing positive positing
- Start sharing professional content on LinkedIn.
Whether you are a Boomer, Gen – X or a Millennial, you have an opportunity to be mentored by those with more experience. Use your influence to embrace opportunities to be a future mentor to the next generation of leaders.
Vincent Ivan Phipps, M.A., CSP, is the owner and CEO (Chief Energy Officer) of Communication VIP Training and Coaching. He specializes in motivational keynotes, interactive workshops, and individual coaching. Vincent’s areas of expertise include: Communication, Motivation, Leadership, Customer Service, Conflict Resolution, and Speech Coaching. Vincent has earned the highest earned honor awarded by the National Speakers Association called the Certified Speaking Professional. This recognition has only been given to 12% of the world’s best speakers and trainers.