How To Keep Conversations Short

People often say that time is money, and even if you disagree with this, you certainly feel that time is important. Regardless of whether someone believes time to be money or leisure or fun, one thing remains constant: time is important. And even though it might seem funny to figure out how to "keep conversations short," you will also acknowledge that you often end up in conversations you would rather end quickly. Regardless of whether these conversations end up occurring with a neighbor, a coworker, or a stranger, you will find that you have more time if you learn how to keep these conversations short.

Be polite: When aiming to end a conversation quickly, the best thing you can do is to summon every ounce of politeness you can muster. In fact, you may end up finding that the conversation actually drags on longer if you are rude to the person with whom you are trying to end a conversation. If, on the other hand, you are polite and friendly, it becomes much easier to graciously end the conversation, as your counterpart can leave the conversation feeling fulfilled.

Recognize what people want to talk about: Even though conversation is intended to be a back-and-forth exchange between two people, most people truly are most enamored when they are talking about their own self. Allow the other person to tell you all the things they want to tell you as quickly as possible by turning every question they ask back to them, and in this way they will feel fulfilled with the conversation much more quickly.

Know how to graciously finish: Too many people make the mistake of making excuses when they are trying to leave a conversation, and these excuses feel like exactly that: excuses! Instead, the best way to end a conversation is to simply end it; tell the person that it was great talking to them, and tell them you look forward to catching up with them again at some point in the future.

If you follow these tips, you will be able to consistently keep conversations short when you need to; and what's more, you will do so in such a way that your conversational counterpart always feels fulfilled!