How to finish a conversation at a party

[Read the post]

I just say “I need to go potty now.” Works like a charm!

14 Likes

“Gonna be sick! Gonna be sick! urrrmph!”
Oh wait, that’s how I cut through a crowd in a hurry.
I suppose it would work in this case as well.

3 Likes

It’s not

“I’ll get me coat.?”

crap. Guess I’m not a party person.

4 Likes

“I’ll be in my bunk”?

10 Likes

My word, Commander, do you mean to say you ended the conversation with a sharp tern?

Quite.

7 Likes

I’ve had a perfectly wonderful conversation, but this wasn’t it.

6 Likes

This idea is so obvious, that I doubt it would be useful to anyone. I mean, if you don’t have the strength of character to be the one to end the conversation, you’re unlikely to have the warmth and sincerity in your eye contact to make this work.

6 Likes

This is interesting. I’ve had to teach people how to move to other people in a trade show booth. I call it “the handshake of death” but I think I’ll change the name to,
The nice person goodbye handshake. Or the Colin Shake Pivot.

Colin’s approach, note that the technique needs to be deployed with appropriate warmth and congeniality.

This is really important. Some people are so much better at this than others. Keeping this in mind helps with what ever you say. You never know who you might really be talking to. Today’s underling awkward bore could be your boss tomorrow or a future huge client.

That is something I learned from the movie Pretty Woman.

2 Likes

I prefer ‘How to avoid a conversation’. Or ‘How to avoid a party’.

I find not talking and showing no interest generally works.

12 Likes

Yeah, but… if you’re at a party, making conversation is a way to find out if, in fact, there are some interesting people present, or at the very least a more potentially fun way to spend a couple of hours other than growling at people interrupting your daydreaming or obsessive-compulsive counting.

2 Likes

At some point for reasons I cannot quite recall I resorted to “I think my pants may be disintegrating”. I only hope that all other parties involved have forgotten.

[quote=“frauenfelder, post:1, topic:62374”]“My approach is to look them in the eye with a big smile and say, ‘It’s been so nice talking with you.’ And then you just do a hard pivot and you walk away.”[/quote]The risk in this approach is that five minutes later you might end up stuck with that person again in an elevator or on the sidewalk or something. And then you will be obliged to flee in a panic or resort to seppuku or something.

2 Likes

Is there a similar technique to use on the phone, too?

“I have to go, my dinner is on fire.”

5 Likes

1 Like

This comes to mind:

Gotta Go. Imitates call-waiting. Generates the “Clicks” and brief
interuption of call-waiting at the press of a button. Politely end
long-winded calls. Save money and limit expense phone bills. Get rid of
pesky telemarketers. Have fun and fool your friends.

3 Likes

Of course, this only works at an appropriate lull in the conversation.

1 Like

I just say “I no longer what to have this conversation”. and they ask me “what to have?” and I say “a drink, bye”

1 Like

22 Likes

Fake that you’re receiving an important mobile phone call like everyone else does. Works every time.

3 Likes