Perspective Chapter: Communication – Overcoming Generational Difference Has Been Reactivated

Abstract

Each generation has special characteristics brought out by the times in which they have lived, which has affected how they communicate in both reception and expression of information. This chapter examines key differences between the generations and discusses their application to medical education and patient care. Both older generations and younger generations will be discussed. This information was taken from industry, sales, and human resource literature and extrapolated to medical education. This review compares and contrasts the characteristics of the five unique working generations. Some of these characteristics include stoicism, altruism, idealism, and beneficence. The effects of these characteristics will be used to explain how generational differences affect communication specific to teaching, learning, and practicing medicine. This information is then used to show how to improve communication within those settings. In medical education, improved communication can facilitate better learning and more productive and pleasant experiences for the educator, the learner, and the patient.