When Should You End a Conversation?

When I was doing my research for my special report on making friendly conversation, I discovered that there’s a lot of information out there on the topic of how to start a conversation, and a lot of information about how to keep a conversation going. On the topic of how to end a conversation, there’s not so much information. This is unfortunate, because a lot of people have a hard time knowing how to end a conversation. If you go on talking for far too long, you can bet the other person is going to think twice before starting a conversation with you again. In fact, when I was thinking to myself, “What is it that sometimes makes me avoid certain people?” the number one answer that came to mind was that I avoid those people who keep on talking and talking and I can never get away. On the other hand, there can be a problem with ending conversations too early. If you end your conversation too quickly, you may miss the chance to develop the relationship into something deeper than being mere acquaintances. So, how long should a friendly conversation be? There are no hard, definite answers that cover every possibility. Once again, you have to pay attention to your partner, listen to their comments and watch their body language. Look for clues to see if they are getting restless. What sort of signs should you watch out for that will tell you that the other person wants to go? How about when they tell you, “Well, I’ve really got to be going now!” It’s amazing how many times I have been with someone and I have said, “I’ve got to get going now.” and yet the other person found something else to talk about that took another ten minutes. It’s amazing how many times somebody told be that they had to leave, and I was the one who kept on talking and didn’t let them go! If you suspect the other person is getting restless and wants to leave but they are too polite to say anything, you can ask them if they need to go. You can tell them you don’t want to keep them from doing their other tasks. If they tell you that they don’t have to go yet, the two of you can keep on talking for a while longer. If you’re talking with somebody that you’d like to see again, the end of a conversation is a perfect time to tell them how much you have enjoyed talking with them, and that you hope you see them again real soon. In fact, you can use this time to ask if it would be alright to call them to meet for lunch or for coffee, if you think they would be receptive. The end of a conversation, if properly handled, can play a big part in getting a relationship to move forward.