The end of the year brings with it a seemingly endless parade of holiday parties. While some gatherings can be perfectly pleasant, many are riddled with uncomfortable situations.
One particularly tricky scenario you might encounter is being cornered into a conversation you don’t want to be having: distant relatives chiming in on world politics, a co-worker asking far too many personal questions, an ex wanting to reconnect.
Harvard-trained etiquette expert Sara Jane Ho prides herself on handling stressors like these with ease. Ho is the founder of the finishing school Institute Sarita, host of the Netflix show “Mind Your Manners,” and author of an upcoming book, also called “Mind Your Manners.”
Here’s how Ho would exit a conversation with grace.
‘Have you met my friend?’
“The best way [to get out of a conversation with someone ] is to introduce them to somebody else,” Ho says. “It’s so seamless they won’t even notice.”
She offers up the following script:
“Have you met my friend? You really have to meet her. She’s so impressive.”
Then, make your exit.
You can also ditch an uncomfortable conversation by saying you need to refill your drink or are going to use the restroom. Either way, you might want to introduce your talkative friend to someone else first, as to avoid any possibility of them following you to the bar or, god forbid, the bathroom.
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