Small Talk

the graceful exit . 143
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
Staying focused on your own agenda will make your
small talking much more productive than if you are just
casually mingling with whoever walks through the door.
You will have questions prepared and a cast of characters
in mind that you’d like to meet. Keeping track of your
own progress toward accomplishing your objectives will
help you gain the motivation to exit one conversation
and get involved in another. It also provides you with a
number of getaway lines.
You can invoke your partner’s help in exiting by getting
a referral or asking for business. For instance, you’ve
been talking to Shelly for about fifteen minutes and you
need to see some other people before the cocktail party
ends. Shelly can actually help you do that if you let her.
You say, Shelly, I’ve been having trouble with the graphics
package on my Mac at home. Do you know anyone here who uses
this program on a PC? Shelly will either give you a lead to
the appropriate person, or she’ll say she doesn’t know
anyone with that program. Either way, you’ve created a
clean break. If Shelly can’t help you, you simply thank
her, tell her that you really need to find someone, and say
good-bye. It’s that easy. Don’t invent a problem just to