When You’re Stuck in a Conversation at Work, Try to Get Up.
Now I work from home alone, which is great. I have done this before; however, I worked in an office like most people, and like most people, I had colleagues with whom I would rather not have lengthy conversations.
In particular, one colleague often came to my table to talk about anything. She was clearly trying to avoid work that she needed to get done or might have already finished, and so she decided to fill that time at my desk by telling me about her last vacation, what she ate for lunch and how this guy works. the hall is “so annoying.”
Do you know who annoyed you? Her.
I definitely don’t mind chatting with colleagues and did my share in it myself, but she always managed to come at the most inopportune moments, not take a hint that she was interrupting something, and then stay much longer than she wanted.
After telling this story to another friend, she made a great suggestion: try to get up.
When you get up, the person visiting your table assumes you have something to do and hopefully decides to end the conversation and leave.
Your mileage may vary depending on your office setup. As for me, I would use the second minute of her visits to decide whether to top up my coffee or make some copies. Yes, sometimes you run the risk of that person following you, but other times it’s a great way to end a conversation.
Getting up by itself sends a message that you are about to go somewhere. Depending on where your table is, you might even get up, ask the person to go their own way, and then just sit back down.
Of course, for every 10 people it works with, one person won’t take the hint and will follow you wherever you go. If that’s the case, it might be time for a stern conversation and maybe a pair of noise canceling headphones .