Sir Richard Branson said, "Don't be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again." (Branson). Failing at communication isn't something anyone wants to do, but it can be a great learning experience if it happens. Failure to communicate is not discriminatory but affects all of us. But does age have an effect on communication? What are some characteristics of a generational era and some examples? Does technology play a role in how we communicate today and influence our communication skills? Effect of age on communication Do age and communication influence each other or are we listeners, of different ages, receiving information differently? You can feel that they influence each other. People of different ages have different “jargon”. If a 20-year-old is in front of an audience of people over 60, the words and non-verbal cues used by the 20-year-old may not be something that an audience in that age group understands. An article in Forbes magazine stated, “We surveyed Fortune 500 executives across the country and found that 80% of them believe that intergenerational communication is a very challenging issue in the workplace.” (Weiss par. 2). So age has a big effect on communication and its barriers. Generational characteristics Being part of Generation Divorce between parents of this generation is also common and fits like a shoe for this one. Some personal characteristics that may not apply to everyone in this generation are wanting to know everything and asking questions until you are satisfied with the answer. Technology may be good, but I… middle of paper… geology is always emerging. Additionally, I've learned how important it is to study younger generations to learn how to talk to them and their preferred method of receiving data, whether it's texting, email, or instant messaging. Works CitedRichard Branson. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved December 21, 2013, from BrainyQuote.com website: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/richardbra452112.htmlKersten, Denise. November 15, 2002. Today's generation faces new gaps in communication. Retrieved http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/jobcenter/workplace/communication/2002-11-15-communication-gap_x.htmWeiss, Scott. May 16, 2012. Generation gap: how technology has changed and the way we talk about work. Par 2 and 13. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/05/16/generation-gap-how-technology-has-changed-how-we-talk-about-work/2/