Align Yourself Across Generations To Beat Ageism
Just like a grown adult knows how to eat, a toddler is just learning, and an infant is curious about it – across the board different generations are at various stages on a number of topics – and that’s okay. In fact, it’s more than okay – it’s a great learning vehicle for you in the fight against ageism.
Multi-generational mentors and learning opportunities via conversations are important because you will pick up tips and tricks from each person you talk to. Everyone has unique experiences that have often been influenced by the society they grew up in and the news and events that have taken place during the years they’ve been alive.
For example – someone middle-aged during the 2008 market crash will have a different perspective than someone who was a child at the time. Neither perspective is wrong or right – the point is, the perceptions are different, so it’s important to hear both, along with all perspectives in-between.
This is imperative both in society and in the workplace. You should consistently have contacts that run the age gamet. You should be inquisitive within conversations with them, and they should want to hear your thoughts and ideas too. Creating an open multi-generational dialogue can make way for conversations that lead to immense knowledge-sharing, new ideas and a lowering of ageism around the world.
A healthy give and take in multi-generational conversations will help us grow as a society. The more we understand about how we all think and what makes us all act, and the more data we have, the better we will be able to work together, and the less ageism will run rampant.
Here are some ways to create open conversations across generations:
Fishbowl Topics
A great way to cultivate new ideas is by rehashing old topics and hearing everyone’s thoughts on them. Put slips of paper into an empty glass bowl that each have a historical event written on them.
Chat through the events with a multi-generational group at a dinner party. Discuss thoughts, opinions, memories. Rehashing articles from the past is a great way to develop new ways to look at the future.
Then, try the same activity with current events.
Be sure that the group participating in the activity is open, nurturing and that a healthy dialogue is produced.
Group Journal
Create a journal that you pass back and forth among a multi-generational group. Participants can jot down their daily thoughts and experiences, creating a shared narrative as the journal is passed from one person to the next. Each participant can read the ideas of those before them, and then share their own ideas in the journal before passing it along.
Group Chats
Multi-generational dialogue doesn’t need to happen in person. Groups who span ages can also host group chats via texting, video calls or emails. Simply opening a dialogue across generations can become a wealth of knowledge and shared understanding for everyone involved.
By creating conversations across generations, ageism barriers are broken. The fight to end ageism gets easier when all age groups come together to fight for a healthier society and workplace.
