In her seminar, "Get Wise With Gen Ys: How to Effectively Sell to Each Generation in Today's Workplace," Loehr zeroes in on people born in the late 1970s or early 1980s, a demographic cohort so mystifying to its elders that she hands out cheat-sheet wallet cards enumerating traits that supposedly define this exotic generation.

Jacqui Higgins, 49 (boomer), an interior designer: "They see fame and fortune coming so easy. They have lost a bit of perspective on the hard work it takes to get there."

Bob Urso, 53 (boomer), president and chief executive of a government contracting firm: "Well, they grew up where they had a soccer match and everyone won a trophy, whether they lost or won."

Loehr [SHE'S THE GEN Y EXPERT CHARGING MONEY FOR THIS, REMEMBER --Fussbett] spells out her theories on what distinguishes this generation from the previous one. "They saw 9/11," she says. "Connection is vital, they want to be connected all the time. People say, 'Why are they on Facebook all the time? Why are they texting?' They really want balance, too. They saw their parents go crazy in Generation X. They are not having that lifestyle. They are going to do it their way. They're going to go to yoga at 4, and the Red Sox game at 7, and do their work at midnight. It might be a good idea to let them go to yoga at 4!"

Xiaoyuan "Wennie" Hanson, 29 (Gen X/millennial), a financial adviser at Morgan Stanley, looks puzzled. She came to the seminar because many of her clients are "trust-fund babies who are Generation Y," she says, and she is slowly beginning to use words like "cool" and "sucks" to make better inroads with them. Now, she has a question about the young generation's role in recent current events.

"So, who's at fault for last fall's economic fall?" Hanson asks.

Loehr resists placing blame: "In my rule, there's no fault."

Near the end of the seminar, Loehr instructs one group to devise an ad campaign for a trip to France geared to Generation Yers. As the allotted time ticks down, Perry, the banker, stands up and rattles off buzzword after buzzword.

"We're going to fly in the Airbus . . . which is advertising green accommodations . . . and recycled seats . . . while being connected to the Internet . . . and because we are somewhat risky, we are going to [bungee] jump off the Eiffel Tower," she says. "Text us at organic.com for a 20 percent discount."

Everyone laughs and claps, but Loehr stands up to evaluate. "That was great. A couple comments. . . . Gen Y do not like to fly because of the carbon [emissions]. . . . Also, you started off by saying, 'We work hard to play hard.' . . . That's an X thing. That kind of threw me off. And the last thing, you said something about bungee-jumping off the Eiffel Tower? . . . That's an X thing.

"Y's maybe working in the local schools, teaching French to the poor elementary school kids. Okay? That kind of thing."

Loehr's students, grateful for the insights, nod. Some reach for the handy cheat sheets she had passed out earlier. It is all laid out for them, quick and easy.