It will probably not come as a surprise to anyone reflecting on the changes throughout the decades that GenerationXers and Millennials look at technology differently.

Millennials have been raised and educated with the online world at hand at all times, GenerationXers have had to adapt to the changes.

While the benefits of the tech world may seem obvious and apparent to Millennials, the advantages may not be so apparent to older executives and decision makers struggling to catch up.

The solution to this is to present the advantages one by one instead of bamboozling GenerationXers and Boomers with too many benefits at once.

Focusing on a single benefit may be all it takes to convince a senior technophobe that it’s worth investing the time and effort in the new technology.

A good example of this might be something innocuous and simple, such as appointment reminders. Gone are the days when a voicemail would initiate a quick response.

During trials, it took on average three days for participants to respond to the VM, if they did so at all. However, text appointment reminders and follow-ups generated a much quicker response time.

The two-way text method was the clear winner in this comparison and they are far more effective in grabbing the attention of busy executives.

It wasn’t until they were in their more mature years that GenXers had access to the technology that Millennials take for granted. But the knowledge transfer from one generation to the other needn’t be a one way conversation.

Millennials can show the value of the new technology, while GenXers can gently remind Millennials that it’s not necessary to have their laptops out during a meeting. They don’t need to be checking emails or responding to online chat.

They may be used to working that way but there’s something to be gained from giving one’s full attention to the interaction in the room, and that not doing so may appear rude to older participants.

“Out with the old, in with the new” may be a popular frame of mind when it comes to technology but there’s another old saying, which is, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

Every generation has something to teach the other.