How to Gracefully & Effectively Leave a Conversation
Have you ever found yourself late for an appointment or somewhere you had to be, because you were stuck in a conversation that you simply needed to excuse yourself from, but you just didn’t know how?
Well, you aren’t the only one who has been stuck in this type of situation. The good news is that there are various ways on exiting a conversation gracefully or effectively.
First, let’s explore some of the reasons you are trapped in conversation. They may vary from casual to business types. The probable reasons you wish to exit a discussion can be one among the following:
- You are uninterested in the topic.
- You are feeling bored with whom you are talking to.
- You find the conversation to be useless for your job.
- You need to use the restroom.
- You may have a time-sensitive obligation, important work to do or place to be.
Whatever the reason may be, your primary aim is not to insult the person while you make your exit. How you go about leaving the particular conversation will depend on the type of exchange you are stuck in. The following are some common situations with suggestions on how to communicate that you “have got to go!”
Business Conversations
For business conversations you should leave the conversation with a definite promise to contact him/her afterwards. I personally feel that you should not make that promise if you really do not mean it. In that case you can tell him about your area of work and how its development can be done with an ending note of “meet you soon”. This will let the other person come with some innovative ideas when you meet next time.
Formal Talks
Formal talks are those held at an event or gathering with those who’s relationships fall somewhere between co-worker and friend.
For formal talks “Excuse me” is a life-saving word. Simply say, “Excuse me, I [insert impending obligation here].” Or you can try looking at clock or better yet asking the speaker for the time and say, “Oh Excuse me, I have to make an important call” and just step away. When this don’t work you can fall back on the choice of the need for a restroom and drink/food break.
After all this you can also introduce a third party in your conversation whose interest might match with the one you are talking to. Just introduce one to the other and step away. Apart from this if you are interested on the person but not on his/her topic you can always try to change the topic with something interesting of your choice.
Casual Talks
Casual Talks are the conversations you have with friends and acquaintances.
Similar to the verbiage used in Formal Talks, in casual talks “Excuse me” or “Thank you” is also a kind way to start your exit intro. Then you may follow it with any of the following justifications:
“Oh my goodness, I just realized the time, I’ve got a call to make”, “I am going to be late for an appointment” or if you have kids “I have to go get my kids” – who is going to discount you for wanting to be reliable and timely?!
If you know you are limited on time prior to a conversation, you can always use your cell phone.
– Set your alarm using the timer on the cell phone
– Make sure the sound is ON and set to something that sounds like a ring tone
– Turn the volume up on the alarm as high as it can go
– When the alarm goes off place your hand on the person’s shoulder (the one you are conversing with).
– Say “Excuse me, I have to take this”
– Look at and then briefly say to the person that it’s your parents, kids, work, etc. and you have to take this and go and you’ll catch up with them soon.
– There are also a variety of cell phone Apps for iPhone and Android platforms that you can download and set them up to send you a “fake call” or “fake text” on demand.
In the end you should feel confident enough and remember that it’s no big deal if you leave the conversation. If you are not interested you should try to exit it anyway, because at some point the speaker will read your non-verbal communication. That’s your body language screaming, “I have got to go!”
