It’s also handy to have a pre-planned exit. If the conversation is stalling -- or it’s simply finished and you need a non-awkward way to walk away -- use this line to gracefully wrap things up.
Here are seven potential exit lines:
- “This has been great -- thanks for telling me about X. Do you have a card?”
- “Can’t wait to hear how [initiative, project, personal decision] goes! Let’s catch up at the next [work party, conference, meeting, get-together].”
- “I’m going to go grab [some food, a drink]. Great to [meet you, catch up].”
- “I see my [friend, coworker, client] over there and should probably go say hi. Want to exchange contact info?”
- “The next session is starting soon, so I’m going to go find my room. It was nice meeting you!”
- “Excuse me, I’m going to use the restroom. Enjoy the rest of the [event, party, conference].”
- “Well, glad we got the chance to connect over [topic]. I don’t want to dominate your [morning, afternoon, night] -- I’m going to [check out the snacks, say hello to someone, take a walk around the venue, etc.]”