The purpose of attending networking events is to meet and socialize with others, helping promote your career. Although these events are full of dozens of professionals, there is always at least one person in every crowd that will monopolize the conversation and only talk about themselves.
The difficult part of dealing with one of these people is that you will often find yourself stuck in a never-ending conversation, which is not only frustrating, but uses up the short amount of time allotted to network with others.
The following are a few ideas to help you close the conversation without being rude or offensive. These tips will help you to spare their feelings and move on to talk to others.
1~ Ask for Their Business Card. When you find that your conversation has reached its peak and would like to move on, simply thank the person for their information and ask them for their business card. You can in return give them your card, shake hands and swiftly move on to another group of people
2~ Pull in a Colleague. While listening to a talking rambler, look around to see if there is a colleague close by that you can pull into the conversation. Sometimes it helps the situation greatly by simply having another voice in the conversation. This gives an opportunity for others to talk, taking the spotlight off the person rambling about themselves.
3~ Make an Excuse. If you find yourself stuck in an awkward conversation, there is always the excuse to go and get a refreshment, use the restroom or the need to make a quick phone call. Always wait until the person is done speaking before you use an excuse to step away, and remember to be polite and thank them for their time.
4~ Try to Take Control. Instead of standing for long periods of time listening to someone ramble on, wait for a lull in the conversation and politely interrupt. At this time, try to summarize what was just discussed and ask questions. This helps you remain in control of the talk so that you can change the direction of the conversation and assertively wrap things up.
Always conclude conversations, both good and bad, with a smile and handshake. It’s important to be polite at all times and by using these tips you will not only be able to control your network time, but will also remain a respected professional.
