Millennial (Half) Minute: Talk Less, Listen More Is Still Good Advice With Millennials by Leslie Levine

Sometimes I talk too much. A few times a year I don’t say enough. It’s not easy to gauge how much we should say or how long we should take to say it, especially when we’re talking to Millennials. Whether they’re our own offspring or the children of our friends, colleagues and those with whom we work, Millennials often want to get to the point.

It can be a two-way street, too – they know what they want to say in a brief period of time and they expect the same from you. I’m not talking about those stream of consciousness, late-night talks or the ones that take place around the dinner table (when they come home or when you might meet them at a restaurant). I’m referring to what I call “drive-by’s,” those often impromptu, but nonetheless critical, exchanges that:

• remind our adult children that they still have our ear
• provide an opportunity to simply check in (for any number of reasons)
• give us information that could otherwise take weeks to obtain (even with texting and email)

It’s not that these 20-somethings don’t like to relax or engage in thoughtful conversations. They just may not want to do that with us on our schedule. So, we make accommodations but still get the information we need and want. This is one of those characteristics that I really like about this generation. Like I said, I can go on and on. But let’s face it, that old bromide that says no one really learns much by talking is still true. Just ask my children.