If we want our businesses to be successful, we must understand the culture of others. We have to be able to understanding the culture of people we deal with. We are all products of our environment and how we are raised. There are two basic cultural groups of nations, those who promote a collective viewpoint and those who believe in and promote individualism.

Collectivist – In collectivist cultures, groups are of primary importance—individuals are secondary. In these cultures, individuals acknowledge the contributions of others to their existence. They may sacrifice self-interest to promote the interest of the collective. When making a presentation to this type of audience, focusing on the good for all versus the individual will usually have a more positive impact on the audience

Individualistic – Individualistic Societies, we might think of these as the me or I groups. Mostly Western countries fall into this category, the United States very much is an individualistic country. In individualistic cultures, people behave according to self-interest and personal preferences and consider independence and self-sufficiency very important. When presenting to a group that is highly individualistic, if we use terms that apply to group, class, or society as a whole many of the audience will tune out. Therefore, using a personal approach will often work much better.

In addition to the overall nationalistic culture groups, there is also a cultural difference between generational cohorts. There are generally accepted there are five (5) groups. Some social scientists are now adding a sixth generation, called Generation Alpha, people born between 2013 and 2024. I’ll expand this once there are more of them in the workforce.

Traditionalists—born 1925 to 1945,born between 1925 and 1945, they lived through the Great Depressions, World War II, their lives were harder than the lives we live today. They also laid a lot of the groundwork for where we are. Important to understand they view the world much differently than most of us today.

Baby Boomers—born 1946 to 1964, this is my generation. We came along right after WWII and grew up in a time when there seemed to be unlimited optimism during the 50s and then societal turmoil in the 60s.Television was a large part of our lives and it tried to paint an idyllic setting. However, as the 60s progressed, we witnessed the Vietnam war and the quest for civil rights. Many in this generation would prefer to return to the old days, so when presenting, make certain to try and avoid emotional terms. Judging this group by today’s mores causes the audience to shut down and stop listening

Generation X—born 1965 to 1980, to me this is an interesting group. Born right at the height of the civil rights movement and into a society that was becoming more socially aware, they tend to be more liberal socially, and interested in a good work-life balance. They are also used to being called names, such as “slackers, whiners,” and as a result tend to sometimes be hyper alert to insults. When addressing this group, I have found success by just being straightforward and logical. Listening to them and understanding they have a unique viewpoint on the world helps.

Millennials—born 1981 to 1996, talk about a group that doesn’t get much respect, this is the one. I have sometimes seen a very defensive attitude taken by some members of this age group. They were raised in an age of incredible technological and societal change. They are bombarded on all sides by messages from older generations and now younger ones and they haven’t even had time to truly figure out their place in society. From experience working with them, I can say the accept change, they value teamwork, and they are curious. DO NOT TALK DOWN TO THEM.

Generation Z—born 1997 to 2012, the newest cohort, they are just now entering the work force, so it’s a little too soon to be able to discuss the best way to communicate with them, except to say, treat them with respect and understand they have spent their lives around technology and learned to communicate in ways many other generations never even considered.

In conclusion, if we want to be successful, if we want to be heard, if we want to be respected, we have to understand that every human is different. When we forget that and try a one size fits all approach we are doomed to fail.