In business management, you may come across many professionals that are open to communicating their true intentions and expectations. However, if you are stuck with an over-talkative client or colleague, there is no easy escape. They can exhaust all your productive time by stretching the conversation. In this article at the Muse, Ximena Vengoechea shares practical ideas to politely end conversations. It is wise to make a humble excuse and focus on your job to save time for self-improvement.
Can You Say No?
Offering a time limit to an important client is close to impossible. Your actions can affect the business relationship. However, if you continue to favor this behavior, it may result in extended work hours. There are many intelligent techniques you can master to graciously end the conversation. Take a look:
Set a Duration
Set a time limit if you respect the person interacting with you and aim to reduce the length of the talk. It only works when you listen more and contribute less. Carefully end the conversation once you gather all the necessary information from the speaker. Use a subtle tone to reduce the length of the conversation. You can set the alarm or reminder to make an excuse for doing something critical.
Time-Out Request
Time-out is a proven strategy to end unnecessary conversations. You can share your concerns during performance reviews and team retrospectives with the managers. It is an intelligent approach to avert heated arguments with a talkative colleague. If possible, offer another suitable time for a lengthy discussion.
Distracting People
A rather tricky but practical approach can prove helpful in some cases. Be upfront and directly inform the other person about your prior commitments. Request to end or postpone the conversation to address the priority work. Remember, your tone should be polite and appealing.
Accepting the Truth
Your effort of ending the conversation may prove unhealthy for the professional relationship. If you cannot help them with a feasible solution, accept it and end the conversation for good. Point out that the discussion is not moving in the right direction to save each other’s time.
People can drag conversations to indefinite length. To improve your productivity, drop social gatherings or extended lunch hours with peers. Click on the following link to read the original article: https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-end-exit-conversation
