How to Handle Being the Youngest Person in the Room
In the past year I have had the privilege of attending a variety of conferences and sitting in on some pretty important meetings ranging from nonprofit fundraising 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 Im 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 suck up. And stay away from being overly critical in an effort to sound like an authority–you’ll seem like a jerk. 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. My favorite question to ask is “How did you get into this kind of work?” It allows people to share details about themselves.
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.
As a 23 year old who has been involved in various youth participation projects and in meeting as ‘the young person’ since about age 16, I’ve found it really interesting over the last two years to try and make the transition from being present ‘giving a youth view’, to being present to give a professional view just as any other meeting participant.
Striking that balance between offering the ‘youth perspective’ and getting stuck offering a youth perspective into the future can be a tricky one (although for the area I’m working in, youth equates to < 19 and has fairly defined boundaries - which makes it all the more important that I make clear I’m not representative of a youth voice anymore, if ever I could have claimed to be…).
I’ve found it’s useful to quite early on include another offer in addition - and finding that additional area of insight to offer can be a really interested learning opportunity as well…
@Tim: That’s a great point. On the one hand, you do have your experiences as a young person which can provide valuable insight. However, you have more to offer an organization than just your age. Thus it’s helpful to also discuss ideas that are related to your profession. You want people to ultimately see you as an important contributor to the organization.
Thanks!
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