How To End A Conversation

I have had quite a bit of time to attend quite a few Christmas and Holiday parties. It's been fun catching up with people. However, there have been a few times when I've been stuck with people that I really don't want to talk to or we really don't have anything to say.

Last week this came up in a conversation with Scott. Scott and I were both trying to figure out how to end our conversation. LOL... just kidding

What really happened though is that we both ended in situations where we needed to make an exit. Scott told me about a book that had a chapter that addresses this type of situation.

I asked Scott to send the information to me so that I could share it with you. Enjoy!

This isn't Scott. This is Miami Levi. I can't tell if he looks

bored with the conversation or if he is having other thoughts. :-)

Many of us feel uncomfortable with ending a conversation. Someone, somewhere, told us it was rude. Actually, the etiquette of cocktail parties is that we are supposed to circulate. No less an authority than Miss manners suggests what we spend no more than eight to ten minutes with any one person. We have been invited so that we can mingle and meet the other attendees. It is an opportunity to circulate among peers, colleagues, potential clients, and to meet as many people as possible. The idea is NOT to engage in conversation wit he one person fro the duration, although we sometimes do that because it can be easier.
Graceful Exit

How to make a graceful exit? I once found myself talking for twenty minutes to someone whose company I didn't find particularly pleasant or stimulating. When the colleague I was with asked why I had done that I hemmed and hawed and said I hadn't wanted to be ruse. "Susan", he said, "why didn't you just say 'EXCUSE ME'?"

That's all it takes, Even Miss Manners agrees. her idea of a perfect exit line: "Excuse me, its been lovely talking to you" I don't like to lie, so I occasionally find myself substituting, "Excuse me, it's been interesting talking to you' But the principle is the same.

To make your exit easier, wait until you have just finished a comment. Then simile and say, "Excuse me, it was nice meeting you' If it makes you feel more comfortable, you might add, "I think I see my boss (client, partner, spouse, mother in law)." the old " I need to freshen my drink' line has it's drawbacks, because theoretically you should ask others if they would like their drinks freshened. Then you not only to return, but you've bought them a drink.

Once you extricate yourself,visibly move to another part of the room. It underscores the fact that you really did have someone to see, or something to do, and that you didn't leave that person simply because you were bored.