Every year I throw myself upon the altar of higher education for 15 weeks to teach at Azusa Pacific University. I sacrifice myself for you, the business leader, the future employer of young people, so that you may learn from my mistakes.

My goal for this upper division class in Sales and Sales Management is to orchestrate a metamorphosis among my young students. Like the caterpillar who becomes a beautiful butterfly, I hope to see my bashful, shy, and somewhat insecure students turn into bold, confident, polished individuals skilled in the art of relational selling.

This year was my fifth year of teaching, and like prior years, I solicit feedback from my students at the end of the semester with an eye to improving the structure of my class and enhancing the learning experience for my students.

They say experience is the best teacher. I agree, but only if you purposefully learn from the experience. If I am going to improve as a teacher, I need to listen and learn from my students, and importantly, apply that knowledge into the classroom.

As business leaders, we need to do the same thing! We need to listen and learn from our young employees if we expect optimal performance and loyalty.

This year’s class of 27 students, all representatives of the Gen Z demographic cohort, provided insightful feedback along some common themes.

7 Key Takeaways

Here are seven of my key takeaways gleaned from their feedback:

1) Shorter lectures. My lectures averaged 45-minutes per chapter but for several students that was more than they could handle.

2) More guest speakers. Students enjoyed one class session run entirely by guest speakers with experience in sales and sales management. They want more interaction with guest speakers.

3) More stories. Several students said examples and stories from my corporate sales experience helped them connect what they learned in the textbook to real-life.

4) More role-plays. Students said they enjoyed role-play exercises because they helped apply textbook knowledge into practice.

5) More Interaction. Right after more role-plays, students wanted more interaction in the form of group or class discussion.

6) More instructions. Some students said they were confused about certain assignments. They wanted even more detailed instructions with expectations clearly laid out.

7) Yea, Technology! I utilized on-line technology to take attendance and deliver the quizzes. Several students said they liked being able to leverage the tech.

Some general themes emerge from this feedback. First, short attention spans demand short, engaging lectures. Second, expectations need to be crystal clear. Finally, anything that delivers an experiential learning environment (guest speakers, stories, role-plays, class discussion) is a big plus!

Three Important Conclusions

Looking toward next year, I will make several adjustments to the class structure and learning experience.

Shorter, More Engaging Lectures

First, even though this year’s lectures were 25% shorter than last year, they are still too long for the Gen Z crowd. They are used to 3-minute YouTube videos and 15-second Instagram. 45 minutes of lecture is just too much!

My plan for next year is to keep the lectures short and lecture on material from outside their textbook, so it will all be new information.

Crystal Clear Expectations

Second, they want detailed, crystal clear expectations for every assignment. The class syllabus explains in some detail every assignment, and I go over assignments again in class before they are due. But this is not enough.

For next year I will add additionally detailed expectations to the class syllabus and continue to go over assignments before they are due. Additionally, I will post examples of work from previous students who did exemplary work.

Learn by Doing

Learning to sell well requires experience and what better place to practice than in the classroom where the risk is low? So, next year the class time will be a full three-ring circus of role-plays, class discussion, and guest speakers. No time to fall asleep or check your social media, we are going to be busy and fully engaged!

Lessons for Employers

I told you I teach young people so that you can learn from my mistakes. So, pay heed if you employ or are thinking of employing Gen Z’s. Short meetings. Engage with them in every conceivable way. Ask them for questions. Ask for feedback.  This generation learns by doing so leverage that whenever and however you can. Finally, communicate your expectations clearly and consistently and do it more than you think is needed.

That’s it. Tune in this time next year, and I’ll report back on how these changes helped or hindered the class.

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. Do you have any other suggestions for me? Do you have Gen Z’s working for you? Also, have you found them different than the Gen X’s, Gen Y’s, or baby boomers that preceded them?

I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because people like you share it with friends. Would you share it by pressing one of the share buttons below?

Category: Skills | Human Resource Development