Millenials in the Workforce

Millennials – the generation born from 1981 to 1997 -- will make up 75 percent of the workforce by 2025, and they are bringing their media and tech habits into the workplace. Millennials grew up digital. They are the first generation raised with mobile phones and social media. They live through their devices. Not only do they socialize with friends through apps and Instagram, but they watch TV on iPads, order food online, and send texts and email on their phones. Not surprisingly, they are also multitaskers with several browser windows open on their laptops along with a messaging app, and a smartphone chiming away with constant alerts. Their eyes and thoughts are accustomed to moving from one screen and idea to the next and then back again. They spend three or more hours a day looking at their phones, accustomed to instant gratification. And those same habits carry over to their professional lives.

Presentation management meshes slides and decks with this Millennial mentality. A typical PowerPoint deck is linear -- slide one, slide two, slide three. It is a preplanned deck – and, so, a preplanned talk -- with little room for spontaneous discussion. Millennials like to get information in an interactive, multi-threaded way. Presentation management makes presenting more interactive. From a Millennial standpoint, they’re thinking, “I have a question about your product, and I’d like it answered now, without having to sit through 30 more slides until you get to it.” Presentation management encourages a fluid exchange of ideas – with supporting visuals -- during a meeting. It lets the presentation follow the conversation – a massively important point that we’ll dive into later.