Au revoir, adios, see ya<\/i>\u2014there are plenty of ways to say goodbye, but it\u2019s not always easy to know the right way to bid farewell to certain situations.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s especially tricky when faced with things like a bad date, in-law visit or a party where you’re making new acquaintances.<\/p>\n
To help navigate the tricky waters of social mores, we turned to etiquette experts for their tactful how-to exit strategies.<\/p>\n
Read on to learn a few rules that will ensure you always make a gracious departure.<\/p>\n
Dinner with a Friend<\/b><\/p>\n
First things first: If you\u2019re exhausted or in a bad mood, it\u2019s best to pass on the dinner date. \u201cIt\u2019s your responsibility to contribute socially, even to a one-on-one dinner,\u201d says K. Cooper Ray, founder of manners and style blog\u00a0SocialPrimer.com<\/a>. That said, if you\u2019ve had a leisurely dinner and are tired\u2014or have somewhere else to go\u2014it\u2019s best to tell your friend the truth. \u201cThis is when you can be the most real,\u201d Ray says. \u201cI always think that honesty is the best policy when it comes to situations with good friends.\u201d However, Ray advises against pulling out your wallet as a signal that it\u2019s time to pay the check. There should be a mutual exchange during which you both agree to end the meal. An ideal moment is when the waiter asks if you\u2019d like dessert or another drink.<\/p>\n Work Meeting\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest mistake is to not have an agenda,\u201d says etiquette and protocol expert\u00a0Dorothea Johnson<\/a>, founder of\u00a0The Protocol School of Washington<\/a>. She happily recalls a colleague\u2019s style of running meetings: \u201cHe would say, \u2018This meeting starts at 4 o’clock and ends at 5. You\u2019re welcome to stay and enjoy the food afterward, but the meeting is officially over at 5.\u2019 I practically fell in love with the man.\u201d Johnson notes that if you are in charge of the meeting, it is your responsibility to maintain control, which includes taking a firm lead when it comes to wrapping things up in a timely manner. \u201cBefore adjourning, I always ask if anyone has anything else pertinent to the conversation to add, and make sure they\u2019re clear on any next steps that need to be taken,\u201d says Ray. \u201cAnd then I thank the group for a productive meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n New Acquaintance at a Social Event<\/b><\/p>\n Ray, who admits to being a social butterfly when it comes to cocktail parties\u2014\u201cif you put a GPS tracker on me, the trail would look like an insect flying around the room\u201d\u2014is well-versed in how to chat someone up and then elegantly say goodbye. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to become adept at reading people\u2019s demeanors if you\u2019re going to be socially successful,\u201d he says. \u201cAre they fidgeting? Are their eyes glazed over? If they\u2019re looking over your shoulder, that\u2019s the biggest cue to me that they are ready to move on.\u201d He suggests following a script such as this: \u201cIt was really good to meet and I hope to see you again very soon.\u201d Before you leave, it doesn\u2019t hurt to mention that you\u2019re going to get a drink and offer to get them one, too.<\/p>\n Chatty Coworker<\/b><\/p>\n It\u2019s nice to take a break and chat with friends at work, but it can be stressful when you\u2019re ready to get back to your to-do list and they\u2019re still recounting events from the weekend. \u201cI tell my coworker, \u2018I\u2019m so happy we got to catch up, but I\u2019d better get back to work or else I\u2019ll be here until midnight,\u2019\u201d says\u00a0Patricia Rossi<\/a>, etiquette and protocol coach and author of\u00a0Everyday Etiquette<\/i><\/a>. By blaming your looming pile of assignments, you won\u2019t hurt your colleague\u2019s feelings. Plus, you can both commiserate over how much you need to get done. If you\u2019re worried that your worker-bee ways are putting you at risk of severing a friendship, suggest continuing the conversation over coffee or lunch at a later date, recommends Rossi.<\/p>\n Heart-to-Heart with a Friend<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cThis is the price we pay for friendship,\u201d says Ray. \u201cNo matter how draining it is to listen to a friend talk about a breakup over and over again, that\u2019s the investment. As a friend, you have to be there in the tough times.\u201d In other words: Grin and bear it. If you truly have somewhere else you have to be, explain your plans to your friend and arrange to reconnect when you\u2019re free again. \u201cDon\u2019t ever leave them with the impression that you\u2019re not there for them,\u201d he says. Rossi recommends ending the emotion-filled session by reminding your friend about something you love about her: her laugh, her cooking skills\u2014whatever it is that makes her shine.<\/p>\n Bad First Date<\/b><\/p>\n If you\u2019re on an awkward setup or dreadful first date, you owe it to your partner to stick around until the meal (or coffee or movie) is over. Beyond that, you shouldn\u2019t feel any obligation to stay. According to Ray, when it comes to traditional etiquette rules, it\u2019s the woman\u2019s duty to signal when she\u2019s ready to leave. So don\u2019t be shy about saying something, like mentioning that you have an early meeting the next day. And though a quick hug or kiss on the cheek is a fairly harmless send-off, Ray admits that he doesn\u2019t like assumed intimacy\u2014nothing beyond a handshake is ever required.<\/p>\n Run-In with an Ex<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cTake the high road,\u201d says Johnson. \u201cThe low road is so crowded.\u201d Her favorite piece of advice is to always be cordial and say hello, but keep walking. You don\u2019t owe an ex anything other than a friendly hello. No matter how things ended between the two of you, you shouldn\u2019t feel obligated to have a lengthy conversation. Keep things short so that you won\u2019t have to make a big deal of saying goodbye.<\/p>\n Visit with Your In-Laws<\/b><\/p>\n According to Ray, this is when \u201cyou\u2019re really at the mercy of your partner.\u201d That\u2019s why it\u2019s best to create a plan with your spouse before the visit. For example, agree that you\u2019ll stay for just one drink after dinner and be out the door at 10 p.m. \u201cYou can\u2019t be the one who pipes up at dinner [wanting] to leave and acting as though you\u2019re not absolutely thrilled to be there,\u201d he says. When your agreed-upon departure time does arrive, Rossi suggests giving them a hug and kiss if that\u2019s the norm, as well as thanking them for the activity you shared\u2014the lovely dinner, wonderful concert or whatever you\u2019ve just experienced together.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Source:\u00a0womansday.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Au revoir, adios, see ya\u2014there are plenty of ways to say goodbye, but it\u2019s not always easy to know the right way to bid farewell to certain situations. It\u2019s especially tricky when faced with things like a bad date, in-law visit or a party where you’re making new acquaintances. To help navigate the tricky waters […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":12535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[36],"class_list":["post-12534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-corruption"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}