Daniel, Great awareness. Do you find that your style changes with those you work with/are friends with?
Dr. Jean Norris
I find that I fall pretty much evenly between Baby Boomer and Gen X. I was born in 1962 and have seen that we have been referred to as "Tweeners" because we don't fall completely into one group or the other.
David, Interesting! What characteristics do you most identify with?
Dr. Jean Norris
I am a blend of Boomer & Gen X.
I hae spent most of my life with Traditionalist, and Boomers, but I am younger - so I have some of the GenX too.
Carol, Interesting! What are the traits of each that you specifically identify with?
Dr. Jean Norris
There is definitively a "little bit of me" in the Boomers Generation as well as in the Gen X generation.
In my opinion, to be successful in the admissions field, you must have an understanding of all the generations. It is very important that we familiarize ourselves with the different styles, complexities and influences that took part in the "building" of each generation.
The admissions interviews are all about finding who is who and why, generation wise. This will be a very helpful tool in leading the student in the right direction. An exercise in getting to know our future students is finding out about their passions and comfort zones. This is also an educational process to who we really are.
I feel very blessed because even though I am baby boomer, I have been in Admissions for a long time and I am very young for my age. I can easily resonate with Tradionalists, Gen Xs, Millenials, and their parents. This makes my job a real pleasure. I both guide and learn from my students
Victoria, Understanding many different generational preferences certainly can assist you. How can you use the this knowledge to customize your presentations?
Dr. Jean Norris
I think that I am more of a boomer. My age would infer that I am a Millennial, but I prefer to do things face to face and receive direction by writing.
Nicole, Interesting! What in the Millennial preferences do you relate to?
Dr. Jean Norris
My generational style seems to be that of generation X. I am a baby boomer but I do agree that I can relate more to the generation X.
I believe it is because my two older children are generation x and this has been the way that we have all learned to relate to each other. I have learned a lot from this course. I will use a lot of the input in future classes that I teach.
I need to adapt these skills to teaching millennials. I am not a risk taker and I will need to encourage them to "step out of the box" and take chances.
I'm early GenX or late Boomer, depending upon where one puts the divide. In the past, I had generally heard 1964 to be the last year of boomers, but personally I think I've always identified more with GenX sensibilities, so I'd say the slightly earlier beginning to generation X presented here is spot on. In the assessment, I answered 2/3 GenX and 1/3 Boomer, which is probably just about right!
I'm a traditionalist type of person , I like to trust people and authority
Although by my birth year, I would be considered Gen X, I seem to fall more under Millenial, although my ex-husband was a baby boomer, so while I have many Baby Boomer work ethics, I am very well versed in electronic communication due to younger siblings & having millenial step children. This helps me a great deal in my interaction with many different generations with my students. I'm very adaptive to their communication needs & levels.
Angela, Excellent awareness! It's great to be able to adapt.
Dr. Jean Norris
My generational style is a mix of both baby boomer and generationx. I prefer communication by both email and face to face meetings.
I resonate with the traditionalist and baby boomers. I was born during this time frame of the boomers and I hold true to values and principles that have been instilled in me by my parents and the religious community in which I grew up in.
Sedonia, Great awareness of yourself. What do you need to adjust or modify about your preferences to meet those of other generations?
Dr. Jean Norris
I realize that God has created each of us for a purpose and we can skillfully learn from each generation. I believe that I can accommodate both the traditionalist and the baby boomers and even the Gen X. It is definitely a mental thing with the Mil generation. My greatest task and feat is that of communication and the language that they use. I am currently working with that in terms of hiring a person that will fit with this generation and yet able to adapt to the baby boomer era. I don't have any doubt that I can do this because with God on my side all things are possible.
Sedonia, It's great that you are aware of all generations and their preferences so that you can meet them where they are. Keep it up!
Dr. Jean Norris
