Our workplace is not a battleground for different generations, as Professor Leah Georges, a renowned authority in the field, effectively asserted. In her TEDx speech at Creighton University, she questioned the widely held belief of a generational war, arguing how such misconceptions can keep us from working and communicating better at the workplace. Georges claimed that generational divides are all made up, urging us to view people as unique individuals rather than members of a specific age group. Her credibility, authority, and delivery increased her ethos, both situated and invented. The content of her speech was highly effective, appealing to the audience’s pathos and logos. And finally, using wit and humor, Georges was able to decrease the rhetorical distance between her and the audience and make the topic fascinating.
Dr. Leah Georges, an Associate Professor and Program Director in the Doctoral Program in Interdisciplinary Leadership at Creighton College, has diverse research interests in social psychology and leadership. Her work primarily focuses on generational dynamics in the workplace and the intersection of social psychology and law. She is also invested in applying andragogy, the adult learning theory, in office environments and academia, particularly online classrooms. (www.creighton.edu)
Before she even stepped onto the stage, Georges’ reputation preceded her. TED conferences (Technology, Entertainment, Design) are known for inviting only the best speakers to present their ideas. Their slogan is “Ideas worth Spreading,” after all. According to its website, TED is a nonprofit organization dedicated to discovering and sharing ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding, and drive meaningful change. (Our Mission, ted.com). The contextual information provided for the presentation introduced her as a social psychologist and the Program Director in Creighton University’s doctoral program, enhancing her situated ethos. The in-person audience consisted mainly of the University’s students but most likely included other faculty members and guests. However, videos of TED speeches are popular and distributed publicly and are viewed by people of different segments all over the world.
Appealing to invented ethos, Georges further bolstered her credibility by presenting herself professionally and confidently. Her articulate speech and the wealth of facts she provided highlight her intelligence. Throughout her speech, Georges hinted at her extensive interactions with various individuals and organizations in her research. For instance, she supported her claims by stating, “For five years, I’ve been talking to leaders and followers across various organizations…What I’ve learned is that we’re working under the assumption that those Google results are true.” (Georges, 4:53). This statement enhanced the audience’s trust in her, as it demonstrated her thorough research and firsthand experience. This reassured the audience that her findings were reliable and could be trusted.
George’s use of pathos appealed to the audience’s sense of righteousness. She pointed out that a boomer feels frustrated because he is scared, and a millennial asks for a raise not because they feel entitled but because they have so much debt from going to college. The single mom who struggles to care for her kids and works long hours isn’t feeling aloof but is exhausted from her many daily tasks. This worked because she motivated the audience to empathize with the individual rather than stereotyping them as part of a group. The speech used pathos effectively without overtly rubbing our noses in it.
Another example of the use of pathos in her rhetoric is how Georges deftly weaved her own experience into the topic. She mentioned a certain young woman with two graduate degrees who was recently told that no one older than her would take her seriously unless she wore shoulder pads. Then, she punctuated the statement with the fact that the young woman in the example is herself. (Georges, 6:44). “This is the best we came up with?” She asked. This personal touch helped build a sense of indignant frustration in the audience.
Appealing to the audience’s logos, Georges inspired the audience to logically address the issue. She stated: “We are so much more similar than we are different. We all want a good working environment, work that matters, flexibility, a good work-life balance, and better appreciation. None of these things are tied to a generation.”(Georges, 7:31) . These statements are universally true, utilizing enthymemes and commonplace agreements everyone in the audience would agree on. We can see that despite their age and background, anyone would want the same things at their work environments.
The speech’s use of rhetorical distance was a tricky one. Presumably, she was addressing a group of her peers. She often used the word “we,” meaning that a person would feel included if they were part of the group and identified as a millennial like her. However, if any audience member felt like they were not a part of that group, they would feel excluded, increasing the distance. This strategy might work with most people in the in-person audience. However, it may backfire on audiences from other backgrounds while viewing the video afterward. Georges made up for this by introducing a lot of humor into her speech. Every other line seemed designed to draw a chuckle or laugh out of the audience.
This is where we come to the strongest rhetorical strategy in her speech. She significantly reduced the rhetorical distance between herself and the audience by making the presentation funny and witty. Making people laugh is one way to create intimacy and draw people closer to you. She showed examples of not-so-effective to outright absurd ideas of how companies are preparing for the coming of millennials and younger employees to work. “If you can see it, you can be it” was one example of an ineffective slogan. In another example, she highlighted cringy stock photo posters of office workers of different ages, genders, and races happily standing in a circle or jumping into the air. Recalling an experience from her research, she said, “I talked to an organization who recently decided against putting a ball pit in the break room because that’s how you retain millennials. We are thirty, not three.” (Georges, 6:32). The jokes and observations she presented created a personal connection with the audience because they also identify with the absurdities of the situation.
In summary, during her TedX speech, Georges successfully balanced the entertainment of a funny presentation with the wisdom of a formal academic study. She began her speech with a solid appeal to ethos, from being on the TEDx stage, her background and experience, and her intelligent delivery. Furthermore, the presentation’s content effectively appealed to the pathos and logos of the audience. With wit and humor, Georges could close the rhetorical distance between her audience and make the topic engaging and interesting. She effectively concluded, “And suddenly, when you meet people in their’ onlyness,’ that unique spot in the world only they stand, we’re not talking about a generation anymore.” (Georges, 10:01). Her conclusion urged people to meet people where they are. Companies should figure out the specific needs of their employees, not the needs of a cohort. We should individualize our approach to this issue. This is a universal sentiment everyone can agree upon.
References:
1. Leah Georges. “How generational stereotypes hold us back at work.”
April 2018. TEDxCreightonU. Creighton University.
https://www.ted.com/talks/leah_georges_how_generational_stereotypes_hold_us_back_at_work
2. Our Mission. ted.com https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization
3. Campus Directory. Leah Christine Georges, PhD. Creighton University Website.
Huey Ly 
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