(More of) Learning from My Students
In the first part of his blog, “Learning from My Students”, Marc Whitney reflected on his 15 years of teaching marketing students at Marquette University and how younger generations engage and communicate online. In part two, Marc highlights how young professionals today face unique challenges that go well beyond the classroom.
Since 2010, more than 1,000 Marquette University students persevered and prevailed under my tutelage. What I have learned standing at the head of the classroom over those years is to truly listen and be present to better understand them.
Here are my Top 5 most valuable insights from this experience that I keep in mind when working with clients and colleagues at TRG Marketing.
- Listen. The 10 minutes before class is the best time to learn what is happening in their lives. Wide-ranging conversations among students, when they are not staring at their phones, cover everything from pop culture to jobs to academics. By engaging with them and showing interest in what they are discussing, the students feel more comfortable and open.
- Be available. More important than office hours (or the workplace equivalent of an “open door policy”) is to show you care. “What did you do over the weekend?” is a general question that may help learn more about them, their backgrounds and even how they approach the challenges they face.
- More willing to raise their hands. Students today speak more openly than ever about mental health challenges and the struggles they face. There is an expectation that professors – and bosses – will pay attention to these concerns and join them in recognizing that mental and physical health have equal value.
- They grew up quicker than we did. These students were the same age as the children who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. Where we grew up with fire drills, today’s students have had active shooter drills. Our experiences with playground teasing are their online bullying.
Their senses are not dulled by what has happened in the world around them, but they were forced to realize earlier than necessary that tragedy can happen at any time. - They are online. A lot. What did we expect when we placed nearly all the world’s information and entertainment – written word, video, audio, and images – into the palm of their hands? Yes, they are on their phones, iPads, and tablets a ton. In class, this is not too different from my days reading the Chicago Tribune during another boring history lecture. All that screen time means 20-somethings may struggle with face-to-face interaction and things we consider basic, including strong eye contact.
What to do? Converse with them rather than talking to them. I try to make classwork interactive and in groups so they learn from each other. In the office, that means engagement, and even realizing young professionals may have, yes, found something online that will improve your company or relationship with your customers.
