Ophthalmic professionals generally encounter representatives from four generations in the course of a workday.

These are:

■ Traditionalists: those 70 years old or older■ Baby boomers: 50–70 years old
■ Generation X: 30–50 years old
■ Generation Y: 18–30 years old

While not precise, these descriptions provide the general age span of each generation.

Throughout history, there have been differences between generations. Now, the pace of technological changes has magnified those differences. Each generation has learned to communicate in different ways. To be successful in your interactions with each generation, you must take these differences into account. Here are the characteristics of each generation, along with some tips for communicating with patients, as well as coworkers, in each group:

Traditionalists. People from this generation learned to communicate in a more formal way than is common today. They often prefer face-to-face discussions and formal, written documents. They may struggle using modern technology such as e-mail, fax, cell phones, text, and social networking sites. They tend to value conformity and will do whatever the doctor directs them to do.

Tips: You won’t encounter many traditionalists as coworkers, but a significant proportion of surgical patients fall into this category. They will appreciate:

■ Patient education materials that are direct and comprehensive. Don’t expect them to use your Web site or other online resources to supplement what you tell them. Make pre- and postoperative instructions clear and directive; tell them exactly what you want them to do and leave no room for interpretation.

■ Appointment reminder calls by a live person and to their home telephone since many traditionalists use cell phones only for emergencies. Some traditionalists won’t mind automated calls, but the highest number of objections to calls from a machine comes from this age group.

Baby boomers: Members of this generation have lived through the transition from rotary-dial phones to texts and social media. Of all four groups, baby boomers probably vary the most within their own generation in how they prefer to communicate. Some of them have adapted to new technologies quite well, while others have little patience for new forms of communications. In general, baby boomers favor communicating by telephone, cell phones, face-to-face meetings, and e-mail. Many struggle with social networking sites, blogging, and texting. They retain some of the formality of communications their parents favor, but also appreciate the shorter, more condensed communications of later generations.

Tips: With coworkers, face-to-face conversations are most appreciated by baby boomers and sending an e-mail or text may feel to them like you are trying to avoid a conversation. Written communications with boomers should include good visual access by using bulleted or numbered lists and bold, italic, or underlined type to draw attention to key concepts. When communicating with patients in this group be sure to provide:

■ Patient education that is concise and easy to read by skimming. Make sure to highlight the most important elements such as when to take medicines. Although baby boomers are less likely to do initial research on the Web than younger generations, they will often follow your instructions to find more details on your Web site.

■ Appointment reminders that can be automated. Note, however, that most baby boomers use their cell phones for the majority of their telephone communications and reserve their home phones only for receiving occasional calls. Hence, it is best to ask permission to contact them by cell phone for reminder calls. Some check messages on their home phones only sporadically, so a reminder left there may not be heard for a week or more.

Generation X: This group is the first to communicate more frequently through the variety of electronic means than through face-to-face meetings and phone calls. The younger members of this generation have been multitasking since they were teenagers and may find it hard to sit through a meeting without checking for texts or voicemails on their phones. Generation X elects to communicate by e-mail, cell phone, text, blogging, instant message, and online forums.

Tips: Communication struggles for Generation X include face-to-face communication, formal letter writing, and team discussion so they may need some training in those areas to be as effective as possible at work. Many LASIK patients are part of this generation, and their communication needs are unique.

■ Patient education should be brief and include references to authoritative online resources the patient can research for further information. They will often prefer that patient education be delivered electronically as they like to keep the information on their computer or smartphone rather than dealing with paper.

■ Appointment reminders should be directed to the patient’s cell phone as many in this category do not have home telephones.

Generation Y: This age group almost exclusively lives in the digital world. In fact, communications on paper are often frustrating for those under 30 because they expect all information to be available in one place; on their phone. Generation Y chooses communicating through text, online social networks and e-mail. Many have even begun to abandon e-mail in favor of texts and social networks.

Tips: This age group struggles with face-to-face and telephone communication. As coworkers, they may need help to develop interpersonal skills so they can interact with other employees and patients in ways that are meaningful to both parties. Few young people have serious eye problems, so patient communications are less detailed, but still important.

■ Patient education should be digital rather than on paper. In fact, it is likely that paper information or instructions will not even be read. Anyone who has a twenty-something child at home knows that bank statements, notices, and other communications that arrive by postal mail often sit unopened for weeks, especially if the same information is available online.

■ Appointment reminders should always be sent to the patient’s cell phone and text messages will be appreciated more than phone calls. OP

	Mr. Preece is a principal and executive consultant for BSM Consulting. He can be contacted at dpreece@bsmconsulting.com or 801-227-0527.
	Ms. Adams works for BSM Corporate Services as a senior specialist. She can be reached at cadams@bsmconsulting.com or 801-227-0527.