I’m really passionate about this tip. End the kids table. You can make this happen tomorrow. Stop the polarizing practice of segregating kids from the adults and elders during family gatherings. Children should be seen and heard with a seat at the table where they can comfortably learn how to converse with others who are different.
I readily see in my consulting work the stymying effect of conversation segregation from the kids table. I see it in new grads entering the workplace who recoil in social interactions. I see it when imposter syndrome takes hold of young professionals, drowning them in doubt and extinguishing their confidence to speak up with ideas or questions.I hear it when frontline employees grossly undervalue their insights based on their rank and title, shrugging off conversation opportunities with senior leaders with comments like: Why would they want to hear from me?Raise the voices of our next generation leaders and champion conversation equity by ending the kids table. Bring everyone together as you break bread and make these device-free interactions.