Great content today from Dr. Tim Elmore on Generation Y and Z, discussing the differences between the generations and what that means for the way we, as athletic staff and educators, engage and communicate with student-athletes of that generation.
Dr. Elmore touched on many interesting points and popular challenges that are coming up more and more with today’s student-athletes, but the key takeaways from this morning’s presentation:
As athletic staff, our role has traditionally been based on supplying and delivering information to student-athletes through lectures, Q&A, we teach, they listen, etc.
Generations Y and Z don’t respond to that style of learning or development.
Student-athletes today do not look to staff members for information, they have information at their fingertips online.
We, as athletic staff and educators, need to become information interpreters.
Support the development of young adults in a way that they respond and relate to the most by understanding each generations defining characteristics.
Dr. Elmore outlined some of Gen. Y and Z’s defining characteristics to help us understand the differences and be better prepared as Generation Z gets to college.
| Generation Y: Born 1983-2000 | Generation Z: Born 2001 – 2018 |
| Grew up in a time of expansion | Grew up in a time of recession |
| Teen connection: texting | Teen connection: social media |
| First tech gadget: iPod | First tech gadget: iPhone |
| Naïve and nurtured | Savvy and cynical |
| Facebook/Instagram | Snapchat/Whispr |
| Goal w/ media: garner shares | Goal w/ social media: disappear |
| Music: Lady Gaga / Bruno Mars | Music: Taylor Swift / Lorde |
| Style: Narcissistic, I’m awesome | Style: Gritty, I will survive |
| Perspective: Optimism | Perspective: Pragmatism |
| Shaping events: Columbine, Fall of Iron Curtain, dot.com, iPod | Shaping events: 9/11 Terrorist attacks, economic recession, debt |
| Generational Legacy | Millennials (Gen. Y) | Homelanders (Gen. Z) |
| When they were born | 1983-2000 | 2001-2018 |
| Life Paradigm | Life is a cafeteria | I’m coping and hoping |
| Technology | Enjoy it | Hacker |
| Attitude to Authority/leaders | Choose them | Utilize them |
| View of Future | Optimistic | FOMO/YOLO |
For more information on Generation Y, check out Dr. Tim Elmore’s new book, which discusses the generational dynamics in detail, “Generation iY: Secrets to Connecting with Today’s Teens and Young Adults in a Digital World”.
