We’ve all been involved in a conversation with a group of people that when the time comes, there are one or two who want to stay and talk about a separate issue not really meant for teh whole group.
Do you know when “to take leave” from one of these situations?
My case in point happened to me just today: I was at a client’s office and the two principals in the company and I were having a group conversation after I had dropped in to pick up an order. About 15 minutes into the conversation I could sense that my part of the discussion was waning and that the other two wanted to talk–alone. It made sense, too, to me in that I realized that they hadn’t seen each other for a few days and had a number of issues to discuss between that didn’t involve me.
So I excused myself and left them in their office to talk.
The point is that I knew when to “take leave” and disengage myself from the conversation. You have to watch your timing–don’t stay too long or leave too soon or the others could be upset. Just pay attention to the flow of the conversation and watch for cues–stance, a glance, a pause–that tell you that “you are excused.”
Don’t be offended–just leave politely.
Relentless
