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Have a hard time ending a conversation? I'm famously bad at it, according to my family :) Here are some tips to end a conversation gracefully...
- Have A Few Go-To Ending Phrases - You probably have a few icebreakers in your back pocket. Stick some chat-enders in there as well. Something tactful and hard for the other person to dispute. Try ‘I promised my family/client/coworker that I’d check-in, though, so I need to step away.’ Just be careful not to reuse them with the same person over and over.
- Introduce Your Conversation Partner To Someone Else - The pass-off move has probably been around since humans first developed spoken language and it’s still effective. Wave in someone you know and tag out of the conversation.
- Ask For The Other Person’s Contact Information - Make it seem like you really want to continue the conversation, even if that’s not true. Ask the person for their email or phone number and tell them you’ll hit them up later. Throw them a compliment on their business card for good measure as you’re walking away.
SOURCE: The Ladders