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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.
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!
@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. :-)
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.
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.
