Sir Richard Branson said: “Don't be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again. » (Branson). Failing to communicate is not something everyone wants to do, but can be a great learning experience if it happens. A failure to communicate is not discriminatory, it affects us all. But does age have an effect on communication? What are the characteristics of a generational era and some examples? Does technology play a role in the way we communicate today and does it affect our communication abilities? Effect of age on communication Do age and communication influence each other or are we listeners, of different ages, who receive information differently? We can see that they influence each other. People of different ages have different “jargon”. If a twenty year old is standing in front of an audience of sixty and older, the words and nonverbal cues used by the twenty year old may not be understood by an audience in that age group. An article in Forbes magazine stated: “We surveyed Fortune 500 executives across the country and found that 80% of them consider communication across generations to be one of the most difficult issues in the workplace. » (Weiss para 2). Age therefore has a significant effect on communication and its barriers. Generational CharacteristicsBeing part of Generation Divorce among parents of this generation is also common and it 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 they are satisfied with the answer. The technology may be good, but I...... middle of paper ......ogy that always emerges. I also learned how important it is to study the younger generation to know how to talk with them and what their preferred method of receiving data is, whether it's text, email, or instant messaging. Works cited by Richard Branson. (nd). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved December 21, 2013 from BrainyQuote.com website: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/richardbra452112.html Kersten, Denise. November 15, 2002. Today's generation faces new communication gaps. Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/jobcenter/workplace/communication/2002-11-15-communication-gap_x.htm Weiss, Scott. May 16, 2012. Generation gap: How technology has changed the way we talk about work. By 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/