Cam Marston

When organizing a meeting, it’s important to know your audience and to structure your plans accordingly, advised Cam Marston of Generational Insights. He stressed that knowing how an audience thinks based on their generational attributes helps get your point across. Knowing the differences between generations, therefore, is an important step to meeting success.

Three generations are likely to be present at most meetings. Millennials, aka Gen Y, born between 1980 and 2000, are now 10 to 30 years old. Generation Xers, born between 1965 and 1979, are 31 to 45 years old. Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are between 46 and 64 years of age. A fourth category, Matures, also known as Civics or Traditionals, were born prior to 1945 making them 65 or older — retirement age — and therefore less likely to be part of your meetings.

Busy, Networking Boomers

What distinguishes Baby Boomers? Marston says they’re busy — busier than they’d thought they’d be at this age and at this point in their career. Because of how busy they are, they’re often reluctant to mentor or teach what they know. They still value and acknowledge “trophies” – both visible and tangible signs of success. Eighty-five percent have stated they will work longer than they had planned to afford retirement. Many have kids still at home and many concerned about parents needing to move in, too.

When selling a service such as meeting planning, Marston said the Boomer expects face time and personal connection. They’re thinking, “Show me you’re interested in me. Ask me questions. Let’s get to know one another and then we’ll enjoy doing business together.” The value of the transaction to the Boomer, said Marston, is in the relationship. They believe that whatever is necessary should be done to accomplish the task and that the customer comes first. 

In structuring meetings for Boomers, Marston advised scheduling several networking opportunities. That means longer breaks between speakers or break-out sessions, and name badges with lots of information, including any awards earned, to facilitate connections. Include cocktail receptions for the same purpose.

Boomers appreciate traditional and familiar meeting sites — nothing too offbeat — that are easily accessible. Boomers find “hip” and “cool” hotels too dark, loud and small; those properties may be perfect for other generations but not for Boomers, said Marston.

Speakers must carry credibility — recognized or unique credentials, celebrities, panels of experts. This is because Boomers tend to put a lot of credibility into agreed-upon experts, particularly ones that have renown within institutions or distinguishing accomplishments. The Boomers are also very goal driven, so state the purposes of the meeting upfront and leave time for outside (networking) activities such as golf.

Using technology, such as audience response systems and having participants text questions to the screen will resonate with only about half of your Boomer audience. Technology cannot dominate the proceedings; too much technology can turn the Boomers off.

Focused Gen Xers

Marston said that Gen X’ers are the most discontented of all employees today. They feelg squeezed by Boomers, who outnumber them by almost 2 to 1 and who are unwilling to share their knowledge, and by Millennials, who Gen X’ers fear are going to pass them by. Traditionally loners, nomads and individualists who moved frequently from job to job, it’s ironic that now, when they’re looking for more stability, their history of job hopping has made many of them unready for leadership.

Their concerns include the traditional pressures of their current life stage – raising kids, funding retirement, 529 plans and mortgages. Of all the generations attending meetings these days, the Gen X’ers are likely the most cynical – questioning the speaker’s credibility, how the meeting is structured, and whether this meeting is a good use of their time or not. Gen X’ers have eschewed traditional definitions of “success” and therefore do not tend to trust “experts” or the opinions of other generations, but peer-to-peer advice is considered golden.

When trying to sell your meeting services to a Gen X’er, Marston said they are thinking, “Prove that you’re good. Prove that you know what you’re doing. Talk to me about a quick, thorough and efficient use of my time. After you’ve proven this to me, we might get to know one another.” The emphasis, to both Gen X’ers and Millennials, is on the value of their time — how it is spent and what they’re getting in exchange for it.

Marston warned planners not to be surprised if Gen X’ers show up with their kids and advised them to have a contingency plan in place if they do. Plan for efficiency — get to the task without wasting time. There’s no need to have all committee members speak or have the mayor welcome the group — they just want to get down to work. They disdain “Ego Events” such as awards banquets or time wasted handing out plaques to outgoing presidents.

Speakers must pass the “What have you done lately test” since participants are not interested in an athlete or politician from another era. They must deliver content that is unique and demonstrates his or her expertise; participants don’t want to hear information that can be found elsewhere. What you must remember is that you’re competing for their time with other things they could be doing. Green is important to Gen X’ers, but being too green is a hassle. Handouts and booklets are still important – don’t forgo them in an attempt to save the planet. Paper for notes and a printed agenda is not a thing of the past. Non-traditional food at breaks will be appreciated — for example, something different like retro candy (Cracker Jacks, for example) might get a giggle. They find talking heads dull after awhile and might prefer a speaker in the round, a competition of some sort or moving outside for part of the program. They appreciate seeing their peers take the lead whenever possible. Keep in mind that Gen X’ers, often loners, are more likely to want to end their day in their rooms than at a reception or group dinner, so place emphasis and funds on daytime events instead.

Optimistic Millennials

Millenials today, says Marston, are less likely to hop from job to job though many are eager to switch jobs since they were told, when young, to “find a good job that makes you happy.” They are optimistic, very group-oriented (but consider each person a unique element of a group), and are still very young — Millennials at 29 have the maturity that a Boomer had at 21. This might be because many still rely on their parents, who have protected and shepherded them into adulthood. Their high aspirations have been somewhat tempered by the downward economy. They are technologically social though often struggle with in-person conversations with strangers. Therefore Millennials are often not as at ease with networking as the senior generations, so any function that will facilitate networking aids the Millennials in this regard. Consider pairing them with a senior meeting member who can introduce them around.

When selling to Millennials, the idea is to make them feel cared for. Messages such as “We're going to teach you what you need to know to be successful” and “We want to get to know you and what your goals are so we can help you get there just like you’ll help us get to our goals” will be appreciated by this group.

When planning a meeting for Millennials, said Marston, remember that many expect to change jobs and professions in the near future, so they will appreciate knowing how the skills they learn might be helpful throughout their career, regardless of the chosen profession. Emphasize short term rewards by spelling things out and numerating solutions, such as “Attend this break out session to learn the six most important tactics to…” Make sure technology is available such as free internet in hotel rooms and meeting spaces. Eliminate any hierarchy so that each participant feels unique and an important member of the meeting; a “Rank Off” meeting allows everyone to have an equal say with no titles printed and no grudges held for disagreements. Schedule “Young Attendee” networking events. Corporate social responsibility is becoming very important to this group so make sure to emphasize the “greenness” of the meeting and use charitable work and voluntourism as team-building exercises.

Handling a Multi-Generational Meeting

Where multiple generations are present, said Marston, make sure there are elements to your meeting that speak to each group. Recognize individuality where possible but emphasize the collective efforts of the group. Allow attendees to select which, if any, of the designations they want to attach to their name badges. Offer sessions led by members of the different generations with their photo so attendees will see their generation represented in some expert position.