9 powerful techniques to follow while working with millennials

“B-boying, Salsa, Kathak – which dance form do you like?”  He asked me. 

This was the conversation my Dad and I were enthusiastically having one evening over a cup of hot coffee.

He dominated the discussion and went on naming more dance forms from Latin Ballroom to Bharathnatyam. There were some dance forms and information on those forms that I was unaware of, and he keenly gave me tidbits about the recent trends in dancing.

This happens quite often. He will be give me a list of newly opened restaurants, the new trend hitting the city etc, things I may not have heard of, and I feel dumbfounded (come-on I’m supposed to know these trends). And here he is, eager and up-to-date on everything that is happening, at 80 years of age.

Trust me, the generation Gap is real

Beware, the generation gap is real. It exists, but filling the gap is not impossible.

Like in case of my Dad, during our evening coffee, my Dad & I have sincere conversations ranging from music, restaurants, politics, books and many other topics. There are times when I happily feed him with information and at other times he feeds me. He is always eager to learn and is always on top of things. Secretly, I wait for our stimulating, evening coffee conversations as I feel privileged to learn from him.

Old soul, who?

Once, my Dad and a cousin of mine (who’s by the way 10 years younger than I am) were having a very upbeat conversation about music.  They were talking about the recent sensations while I was sitting in a chair, like a snob, trying to act busy on my phone; because I hadn’t heard the names they were throwing around. Unbelievable but true. At that point in time, I thought I was the senior citizen.

My brother and I have a game with my dad, where we ask him a ‘do you know’ question and if he’s unaware of the reply, we rejoice. (Yeah, silly games. Don’t judge us). But trust me, rarely does Dad not know something or does not retaliate with another piece of information.

But really , that’s what I have learnt from my father, having conversations across age groups is not difficult if we are open minded, eager to learn and if we stay updated with the recent times (which is very important). It’s a surefire way of winning in every situation.

Vulnerable differences

When I talk about senior adults getting back into the workspace, a common concern that is raised is how the senior adults will fit in with the millennial? I have done a post on How to fit into a workplace full of millennials.

But dealing with millennials is not just in a workplace. They are at home (your children), outside - while dealing with person in a restaurant or a home contractor etc. The perils of not adapting to the current generation are it may make you feel vulnerable or portray you as a terror.  Learning to deal with them will only make your life effortless and more engaging.

The millennial will undoubtedly be different from you in their thoughts, psychology, behavior etc and may come across as radical or offensive. But don’t be judgmental because, for millennials - you are different. You may come across as old fashioned or even a person with a closed mindset.

To give you an example, millennials may be very comfortable with technology and expect everyone to know it, but you may be bemused with the new gadgets. Similarly, you may value incredible loyalty above everything else, whereas millennial will value alignment of their goals with the company.

Do you text?

Do not get frustrated if your millennial co worker prefers to text you instead of calling. You must realize that this is how people communicate today.

You have to be adaptable and try to gracefully inculcate that in your life. You have to keep an open mind and stay ahead of the curve by learning from your younger co-workers.  View the generation gap as a learning ability and not as a liability and this will give you a cut above the others.

“I’m very tired; I’m thinking of booking a masseuse “said my Dad. Trying to be a good daughter, I told him, “I will book you one on urbanclap app.” Pat came the reply, “I have the app on my phone, I will do it myself.”

You may not know what an app is, but if you are open to learning and exploring what it is, you will fit in with the millennial.

The 9 rules of likeability

It’s not difficult to work with younger co-workers. We are on an interesting cusp of transformation, where there are different generations in a workplace. The sooner you align with this generation the more you will be grateful. A person with a growth mindset, whether a senior adult or a millennial will always look at what they can learn from the other person, irrespective of age, gender, race, religion etc, and this is called true diversity.

To make your work-life easier, I have mentioned below 9 points that you should follow if you want to increase your likeability ratio.

1. Find Common Ground

Let me give you a secret to charm others. People like others who have something in common with them. The more you have in common with others, the more they will tend to like you. So, find a similarity on which you can connect with them, like hobbies, sports teams, food, travel, books, and even politics can all be great places to find common ground. Be genuine while you connect with them and don’t forget about it later. Use it to build a good rapport and make your future conversations interesting.

2. Use mentoring as a bridge

The most effortless way to adapt in a new space is to have someone guide you. You usually hear seniors mentoring juniors, but it’s not a rule written in any book. Mentoring is training or giving advice that can be life-changing. If your younger co-worker knows more than you in some subjects, fearlessly ask your younger co-worker to mentor you. Choose a young mentor who can get you well versed with the behaviors and actions of the current generation. Also, people want to feel intelligent and capable, so by making them mentors, you will add epic confidence to them. This will quickly make you a hit with the younger crowd.

3. Have co- workers not children in workplace

Treat your younger colleagues as adults even if they are your children’s age or younger. Adults like being treated as adults. Don’t talk to them like you would to your kids. Treat them as partners, understand their expectations from you, and clearly ask for help when needed. Done right, you will see a whopping change in their attitude for you.

4. Ask for a favor

If you want people to like you, make them feel good about themselves. When you ask a person for a favor, they feel brilliant about themselves. And because you made them feel good about themselves, they will like you. So ask them for an easy, small help if you are stuck with some problem. They will feel good that they could solve your problem and in turn your likeability quotient will increase.

5. Open hands and palms create trust

As you know the golden rule of communication - only 7 percent is verbal and 93 percent is non-verbal. Having your body language right can make all the difference. Use open hands and palms while talking. Open hands help in creating trust. So next time, you are having a conversation (even if it’s a gossip session) speak with gestures.

6. Nodding

Nod your head during a conversation or while asking a question. It will make the other person more likely to agree with what you're saying. The next time you need to get your point across or want someone to agree with your thinking, try nodding your head as you speak because people unconsciously mirror the body language of those around .When you nod your head as you speak, you convey that what you're saying is true and genuine, and people will be more inclined to agree with you.

7. Show positivity

Showing positivity or excitement makes other people like you. No one likes a person who is negative or keeps complaining. This one is again similar to the idea of mirroring body language. If you show excitement and positivity when you see someone, they will naturally mirror that excitement back at you. It's an easy way to make an amazing first impression and to get people to like you. Don’t forget to smile.

8. Maintain eye contact

People who make proper eye contact with others are perceived as being more likeable and appealing. So next time you are talking to a colleague (male or female), don’t look at your shoes or somewhere on the wall or above their head. Take command and look at them in the eye and talk.

9. Mention their name

Make a point to remember names when you are introduced. By mentioning someone by name, you’re establishing trust. People love to hear their names. This psychological trick is very handy in the workplace, in job interviews and in all walks of life. Just be sure not to use it too many times, as this could come across as fake and make people feel uncomfortable. Instead, drop it in casually.

“Hip-hop, Salsa, Latin ballroom dancing” – which dance form do you like?”  I enthusiastically asked my Dad. He said “Latin ballroom” in a calm tone. I said ok, and next evening we enrolled ourselves in a Latin ball room dance class.

Yes, at 80 years, he’s my graceful dance partner for rumba, cha-cha-cha, rock and roll, salsa and waltz. Also, at parties, while I quietly sit in a corner with a glass of wine in my hand, he is the hero of the party, standing in the middle of a crowd doing his famous table dance – and then you say you are ‘too old’ to learn something new.. Think again!