And you’ve certainly succeeded. I’m having new conversations with HQ folk left and right sparked by your presentation. Thanks and keep it up; I’ll try to do the same.

@Keith: a great point:

“If you want to enhance the ability for people to express and exchange opinions, then you need to be prepared to hear them – and not just dismiss them because you do not accept or agree.”

Listening is a virtue and, I think, probably the single most important aspect in any effective communication. This goes for ANY communication- friend-friend, boss-employee, blogger-world, world-blogger, (man-dog?); you name it. The tools and technology we have just amplify the ability to listen… and to NOT listen as well. This could not be more true for a generation than it is for Gen Y, which already faces much criticism for being easily bored, lazy, expecting, self-important, ect. (Who knows what we’ll say of Gen Z…)

As one of the original presenters, I will readily admit we’ve had several partial failures and the misinterpretation you mention is certainly one of them, as plenty of comments have aluded to. I’m not sure if the cause of that failure was in not reaching a target audience, since we were asked to provide a perspective on how NASA can better target the public Gen Y and never anticipated such widespread interest. I think maybe a cause of the failure was more likely due to the inexperience in not anticipating the target audience of the presentation to expand as quickly as it did.

To that inexperience, we’re guilty.

Yet, the purpose of a few powerpoint slides arranged in a long, slightly catchy, non-traditional-NASA-powerpoint style was to spark a conversation. We wanted to spark a conversation in one room and ended up sparking several more. It is a conversation that I don’t think I’m alone in saying should be happening and it is one that we can’t possibly expect to take place without debate, argument, or criticism.

The challenge is to listen and understand that the problems we face aren’t something any one generation has “the answer” to. It isn’t about demanding change to happen because we have grown up expecting people to cater to us. It is about standing up and saying: “Here’s one approach. It’s not perfect. But let’s realize it will take all perspectives, generations, and experience levels to tackle the tough issues, and maybe we’ll learn a bit from each other as we go.”

And so: we will keep trying to learn from our failures because the alternative is to not try in the first place- and I don’t think any of us would be honoring the past achievements of those who came before us if we didn’t at least agree that that is not an option.

Alas, these comments are from people with as valid a stake – and right – to respond – as are the people who post here. And some of them hold similar viewpoints about Gen Y as you hold of them. If you want to enhance the ability for people to express and exchange opinions, then you need to be prepared to hear them – and not just dismiss them because you do not accept or agree.

If there is a “misinterpretation” as you suggest, then that is a partial failure on the part of the original presenters to not reach the target audience. If they are truly interested in trying to express themselves in a fashion that others can understand then they will need to work to improve their presentation tools.

You can only expect to reach an audience half way – at best. More likely YOU are going to have to understand THEM if you want them to truly understand you.

Keith Cowing
Editor, NASA Watch

Thank you for being my voice in this! I wanted to stand up and applaud when I was reading through the slides.

I’m in Generation Y, and I seriously do not really care what the space program is up to, nor do I feel like they really care about our generation.

Your point in the presentation about NASA needing to reclaim its position as a leader of innovation is so true. I see all the cool things Web 2.0 offers you and this new “markets are conversations” philosophy for reaching the public, and I see NASA involved in none of it.

I found this blog and the presentation through a post at a Web site called AdFreak, a blog of the mag AdFreak.

I followed the link because frankly, space programs on TV put me to sleep (my husband will verify this), I feel like NASA is one of the least exciting things about our society (when it used to be the most exciting), and because I wanted to see if others in my generation felt the same. Now, I’m glad to see I’m not the only one. (And this is my first time visiting any site remotely related to NASA).

Keep blogging and trying to help NASA connect with people like me — don’t get discouraged by naysayers. And could you add a feature so we can subscribe to this blog via RSS? I’d love to add you to my regular reading of blogs.

The basics of which are that we understand we have to prove ourselves and I think most of us plan to do so, But just because we’re ‘young’ doesn’t mean we don’t have good ideas or good revamped ideas. Use us to make NASA better however that may be, use us to start communicating to the next generation, and if we have a bad idea explain ‘Y’ so we don’t repeat failures when we take the torch 20-30 years from now. We’re only here for a short time and I for one am willing to learn and improve what I can, while I can.