Has it ever happened to you that you are chatting with someone, and the conversation was great for a while until it started to become stale as you gradually run out of things to say? But you did not know how to end the conversation without appearing rude, while you prayed in your heart that the other person would just stop talking! Perhaps, you were the guilty one in this scenario!!
Knowing when to end a conversation can help you avoid boring someone or trying their patience. It can also provide you with access to getting in touch with people again.
Most people focus on how to start a conversation. But that’s not the only important part, learning how to end conversations can give your conversational skills a real boost too if you know how to do it graciously, rather than wait for someone to get frustrated.
Time to End a Conversation
This quick tip guide focuses on the signs to look for and the times when you should be prepared to end a conversation.
- Monosyllabic Answers – Everyone has an opinion, but if you have been going on for a while and the person you are talking to is issuing one word answers (Yes, No, Exactly) or just grunting (hmmn, ah, hmmnhuh), it may be time to end the topic or the conversation altogether.
- Physical Cues – When people aren’t listening to you anymore, you can usually tell. Their eyes wander, they are reading old text messages on their phones, their foot bounces with impatience; these are all indicators that it’s time to end the conversation.
How To End Conversations
Ending a conversation is not hard, but it can feel that way. Always try to end a conversation on a positive note. For example, if you’re on the phone and you’ve been getting the monosyllabic answers, simply say, “It was great chatting, give me a call later?” That not only puts the ball in your friend’s court, it gives them a gracious exit from the conversation.
If someone has to go abruptly due to a real emergency, you can say “Got to run, it’s an emergency. Talk later.” It’s short and to the point and you’re done. Don’t use this unless it’s a real emergency because lying to get off the phone or out of a conversation can sometimes come back to bite you.
What if you’re out and you’ve run out of things to say or feel like you have? Then end your current topic of conversation and use the question and answer method to get the conversation going again. By asking questions, you are handing over the control of the conversation to someone else. This may end the conversation all together or allow it to venture into something new and exciting.
Silence is not as bad as you think. People who are comfortable with each other often enjoy the silence that stretches between them without feeling a need to fill it with empty chatter. And even interesting conversations with your best person in the world also has to come to an end like all other things. Embrace it, and do it graciously too.
Form here, it’s sayonara!
