Today I’m answering a question I get asked ALL. THE. TIME. That question is “How do I gracefully exit a conversation?”
We’ve all been there. You get stuck talking to the guy who wants to tell you all about his latest health issues or how Martians live in his kitchen and manipulate his thoughts. Or maybe it’s not that dramatic. Maybe a conversation is simply over and it’s time to move on.
Since it’s not socially acceptable to say “I’m finished with you,” and walk away, what can you do?
The answer is actually pretty simple. You say, “It’s been nice talking with you. I’m going to let you mix and mingle with some other people. And I’m going to do the same. Take care.”
If you’ve been having a good conversation and you’ll want to connect with the person after the event, say, “It’s been nice talking with you. I’m going to let you mix and mingle with some other people. But let’s touch base in the next day or two and set up a time to continue our conversation.”
Now you’re both free to go talk to someone else.
You could also introduce your conversational partner to someone else, if there’s someone you know nearby.
“It’s been nice talking with you. I’m going to let you meet some other people. Oh, look, here’s Jackie. Have you two met yet? Jackie runs an event planning company. Jackie this is Samantha. Samantha is the director of marketing for a biotech company. She was telling me about how she’s volunteering with a non-profit that’s at the beginning stages of planning a big gala.”
Now you can walk away and let them talk.
It’s not a good idea to use the excuse that you’ve got to go to the bathroom or you’re going to get another drink because then the person can easily say, “Oh, I need to do that too. I’ll come with you.” And then you’re still stuck with them.
Have you got another tried and true way to gracefully exit a conversation? Put it in the comments section here.
Hey hope you enjoyed this video tip. If you want more help on getting better at networking so you can meet more people so you can be more successful, let’s hop on the phone for a few minutes. Schedule a time with me at the link right here: Book a chat