In the past year I’ve attended a variety of conferences ranging from nonprofit fund raising and marketing to curriculum development and student recruitment. While the topics may vary, one aspect stays the same: I’m always the youngest person in the room.
To a certain extent this is to be expected. After all, I’m 22, fresh out of college, and am intent on making a name for myself. However, walking into a room full of people who have decades on you in terms of both age and experience can leave you feeling tongue tied and anxious. Over time, I have been able to get a grip and become more comfortable in this scenario.
1. Be clear on the shared purpose: Who is hosting? Why are you all there? What issues are being addressed? In other words, do some homework before you attend a meeting/conference so that you able to stay on point. Don’t be clueless—it shows.
2. Understand what you can offer: Once you have a handle on what will be discussed, reflect on why you are there and what ideas/perspective you can bring. For example, I notice that more and more people are interested in getting our generation involved in programs and organizations yet aren’t sure on how to grab our attention. This is great for me since I’m always reading and writing about how our generation approaches life and work. This perspective is what I offer.
3. Be confident: Never ever preface a comment with “well I’m only one year out of college but…” Horrible. You’ve basically just said that you’re too young to have a full understanding of what the meeting/conference is about. Instead, say something like, “From my experiences as a recent college graduate…” that way you being insightful and sharing a unique perspective.
4. Make suggestions: Honestly, I hate comments like this “I just want to say that I completely agree with you” and the person proceeds to rehash what has already been said. What a waste. The assumption is that if there are no objections then everyone agrees. Besides, you sound like a lazy suck up. Instead, make specific suggestions or offer to take the lead on something.
5. Introduce yourself to at least one person: Don’t get stuck in the corner, wide eyed and confused. If you are shy or nervous go up to one person and have a genuine conversation with them.
6. Make sure to do a follow up: If you’ve been asked to take the lead on something, keep people abreast of your progress. If you have learned something new, put what you have learned into practice as soon as possible and thank the person who shared. At the end of the day it shows that you not only pay attention but also that you are eager to excel. 
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Allison, at the risk of sounding like “I agree with everything she said,” I have to say that these are great tips. One thing that recent grads sometimes do (I used to do this unknowingly) that undermines their image is to automatically disagree so they appear authoratative and thoughtful. If you’re going to disagree, then you should be able to articulate a reason why. Don’t disagree for the sake of arguing.
@Susan: lol–you know I find that I do that a lot when leaving comments on people’s pages. It’s not terrible and I find that it can be encouraging to the person blogging. However, I’ve sat in on so many meetings and lectures where people my age have felt the need to be too encouraging to the point where they never really contribute anything.
You also bring up a good point about trying too hard to be authoritative in the form of disagreeing. This is why I recommend giving suggestions or offering to take the lead since both actions move idea or discussion further.
In other words, you need to be prepared to “shine” - know all your facts and be confident in your progress as a young professional.
What do you suggest to do when it comes down to simple “chatting” or making friends? There seems to be so little in common with people who are 20-30 years your senior. I find that conversations start revolving around things that do not really matter to neither me (the youngest person) nor them. It’s definitely not a secret that if you are good company outside of work and can connect on something in common other than work, it will greatly benefit your business.
I guess my answer to my own question would be to add to that list above that you should know/research/make educated guesses/ask questions about the other people in the meeting. Once you feel like you know them a bit more, you will feel much more confident, won’t notice the age gap, and won’t be treated as a youngling.
Yeah, I’ve been the youngest person in the room on more than a few occassions… I always like the feeling, it makes me feel like I’m ahead of my game for my age.
@Ulyana: You’re def on to something. I find that getting to know someone and taking a genuine interest in who they are isn’t so difficult. Start with the common cause (the office) and branch out from there. People also respond well to those who take the time to get to know them.
@William: Nice perspective. Nothing wrong with giving yourself a little pat on the back.
In relation to number six, if you know that someone is taking lead on a task and you have information relevant to them forwarding it to them with a little not can go a long way.
Great post!