DECATUR - When Lynne Lancaster asked the audience how best to relate with younger generations, the first piece of advice was listen.

She then asked for a second way.

"We can text them back," shouted Dave Weber, regional president of Busey Bank. The response drew a large laugh from others in the room.

The exchange illustrated how important knowledge of technology is for members of different generations to relate to each other. But for those who find themselves in a business where four generations of workers are coming together for the first time, the importance of being able to relate with different generations goes beyond differences in technological knowledge.

"We live it and breathe it," said Anastasia Lingle, recruiting manager for calling center operator StarTek. "Everything we do now is generational. We might have a supervisor who's 22 years old managing somebody 60 years old."

Relating with different generations is especially important as the company trains its employees. Using personal experience is a key, said Olivia Arnold-McCray, who trains new hires for StarTek. For older workers to be able to better understand voicemail, she has compared it to using a post office box.

Having employees from older generations is beneficial, she said.

"I like to have a nice mix inside the class," Arnold-McCray said. "We learn something different from everybody who comes through but gain the most insight from the older group. They've been there and done that."

Lancaster, co-founder of Bridgeworks, who was speaking at The Community Leaders breakfast in May, said members of the different generations come to work with various expectations.

"The generations really do want to like each other and want to get along," Lancaster said. "We might look a little different, but we find bonds."

Although a lot of focus is paid to attracting younger generations, those in older generations shouldn't be overlooked, especially as they attempt to return to or remain in the work force during the recession, Lancaster said. Nonprofits in particular can benefit from targeting older generations to help out, she said.

"When traditionalists and baby boomers retire, a lot of wisdom walks out the door," Lancaster said. "Think about the knowledge they can transfer."

Still, one of the challenges facing Decatur is creating an environment to make younger workers want to come to the area and stay, Lancaster said.

"Every community needs to think about how we are going to recruit and attract the work force of the future," Lancaster said. "It's going to be an effort for city leaders to keep trying to encourage businesses to relocate to Decatur and support young entrepreneurs."

The Decatur 501 Club, a group of young professionals, is one way that has been created in an effort to recruit and retain workers. While it encompasses millennials and Generation Xers, the group is supported by people in the older two generations, said Shellie Klink, 501 executive director.

The group has made attempts to bridge the gap between the generations by bringing club members together with community leaders.

The 501 Club has surveyed members in the past to find out what's important to them and was working on completing another survey, Klink said. Philanthropy has been rated near the top of desired activities, she said.

"It's helping find the balance and exposing them to different opportunities," Klink said. "It's about our quality of life and seeing what the community has to offer."

Lancaster was impressed to hear of the efforts of the 501 Club.

"It creates the glue that keeps Gen Xers as part of your community," Lancaster said. "We need to keep fueling programs like that, because it's going to be what keeps communities strong."

Generations' workplace traits

Traditionalist (born prior to 1946)

Patriotic, loyal, desiring to leave a legacy, fiscally conservative, faith in institutions

Baby boomers (born 1946 to 1964)

Competitive, questioners of authority, eager to put their own stamp on institutions, sandwiched, optimistic

Generation Xers (born 1965 to 1981)

Eclectic, resourceful, self-reliant, skeptical of institutions, highly adaptive, independent

Millennials (born 1982-2000)

Globally concerned, integrated, cyber-literate, media savvy, realistic, environmentally conscious, collaborative

Source: Lynne Lancaster,