Fin

We come across people – daily. We have almost a hundred conversations on a daily basis – how do you end a conversation - ever thought of it? I met a friend after several days – we were talking sense – sometimes – nonsense – almost all the time. In middle of the conversation, he mentioned the various ways in which people try to end a conversation –the subtle hints – the blatant yawns.

Well – it’s true – there are so many ways to do it. People can be real creative in these matters. Keep glancing at your watch every 2 seconds – gets the other person to say a bye himself. Tell him/her that his/her vehicle must be out in the sun for a long time and he/she better do something about it. Mention casually that you are getting late for your bus/some other work. My personal favorite is the glancing at the watch bit. Not really subtle - not at all offending - real effective. Almost never goes wrong. Depends on the skill with which you execute the act though. Sounds too technical. The thing is – it is technical. As months pass by and I turn older in this corporate scenario – I notice that there is a fixed methodology to many things – the subtle hints – the unasked questions – the reluctant answers. Most of the communication happens through body language. You can make out when is the best time to approach your PM – when is the right time to stop talking about your idea in the meeting – when your presentation is going great guns – when it’s the time to wrap it up all and have a seat. Its all out there and yet I notice that people are not cautious about their body language. Well - the sooner they learn - the better.

On a totally different note - after my friend left, I was thinking of awkward situations similar to ending a conversation effectively - I remembered one mentioned by a friend long time back. How do you ask people whom you have met already their name once again? That one is a serious catcher. He told me several ways to do it – extremely witty ones - but that makes space for a totally different post.