In December 2022, CEDIK Extension Specialist, Melody Nall, and Senior Extension Associate, Mercedes Fraser piloted a 3-hour workshop to enhance communication strategies across generations through a multimodal approach for the Leadership Horizons program in Maysville, Kentucky. Coordinators of the program contacted CEDIK to provide content for the first session of their community leadership program and shared that the goals of the day were to increase communication/connection among participants and to learn skills that could potentially be translated to the participants' work environments.

The workshop opened with an explanation of “Connection before Content” utilizing the We! Connect Cards that create conversations based on the level of connection the meeting planner is seeking to achieve. The questions on the cards range from “fun and light” to questions that dig deeper or “encourage self-reflection” providing a way to move beyond “ice-breaking” to real connections prior to moving into the content of the day about the multiple generations currently in the workforce. The fifteen participants had 15 minutes to partner and connect through the cards/questions allowing time to learn more about each other and creating an atmosphere of engagement and dialogue for the workshop. 

Content that defined generational time periods, life experiences, and communication styles was presented, and activities that further illustrated a variety of life experiences, knowledge, and attitudes that could affect communication were completed. After the activities, a discussion was held first in small groups followed by a facilitated discussion to identify similarities/differences and strengths/opportunities regarding communication and work styles between the four generations in the room.

The final activity, the Marshmallow Tower Challenge, a simple team exercise that encourages people to work together to practice problem-solving, design thinking, resilience, and agility was introduced.  Teams of five participants were instructed to build the tallest structure possible with minimal, inexpensive materials in 18 minutes. Teams took different approaches to designing and building their structure but in the end, none of them stood without assistance. During the debrief, team members identified the team design strategies, emerging leader(s), communication styles, and how they might make a connection to approaches used in teamwork/strategies in their workplace. 

Evaluations of the workshop revealed that knowledge about generational characteristics, communication styles, and communication within teams increased among all participants. The CEDIK team is reviewing and modifying the workshop for future training with Extension and other organizations.