Appreciating All Generations – Intergenerational Dialog
What are the stereotypes we attach to the different generations? Is there a lack of intergenerational dialog? If you were to generalize, how might you complete these sentences?
Old people are. . . .Young people are. . . .
If you have difficulty generalizing, that’s a good thing, as we are all unique and different.
Expanding our World Views
It appears our world is moving toward greater tolerance in many things and greater acceptance of diversity—culture, generations, working styles, education, diet, entertainment and so on.
Fashion, music and performance art often lead the way, as they are indicators of new movements and emergent trends. Moreover, movies and YouTube videos from all over the world are available to us 24/7, so we are more exposed to and welcoming of difference.
We see bright young people with great wisdom doing amazing things with games and technology and music and movement. We see old people with youthful curiosity who have energy and sparkle, and are interested in everything, and are willing and keen to share their stories and insights of earlier times.
Mutual Admiration – Intergenerational Dialog
When we stop to think about it, there is so much to admire in all the generations. Imagine the power of having such an open perspective at all times—understanding and appreciation make conversations so much easier and more generative.
When we let go of judgment, we achieve far more because we focus on what is being presented to us. Without preconceptions, we can appreciate what another is truly saying, instead of investing energy into stereotyping people based on prior assumptions or prejudices.
Let me encourage you to enter into inter-generational dialogue. You could engage a member of your own family, a colleague at work, a neighbor, a stranger. The framework below is a guide to help you. Invest your energy in inquiring into the world of a different generation. Be prepared to be surprised …. and expect to find some commonalities. Delight in being present with someone of a different generation with an open heart and an open mind.
Starting the Conversation
Sit down with someone and invite them to remember a positive experience they had with a person of a different generation. Suggest that this experience may have been at home, at work, at a workshop, at a party, during a commute, on a park bench or anywhere. Ask them to tell their story of how this encounter shifted their perspective about this different generation, and left them feeling positive and uplifted from the conversation.
- Invite this other person to tell their story of their inter-generational experience
- Who was involved?
- What were they doing?
- What were they saying to each other, or what were they noticing and learning?
- Without being humble, what were some of the specific things they contributed to make this a positive experience? What were they doing, thinking or feeling? What are they proud of when they reflect on their own positive contribution?
- And, what did they value about the person with whom they were engaged? What qualities stood out?
- What insights did they gain from the conversation? What's uniquely special about this other generation?
- What commonalities did they find and what are some of the underlying strengths of both generations?
- What made them shift their perspective?
These questions are part of theDiscovery Phase of Appreciative Inquiry. What can follow from the Discovery interview are the Dream, Design and Destiny phases. When you delve into these phases, you are on the path to a truly powerful transformation in human relations.
The full interview protocol that takes you through the Dream, Design and Destiny phases of the AI interview, as well as 20 other interview topics are available in my book, “Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions: 21 Strength-based Workshops, published by Pfeiffer/John Wiley.
