How to End a Conversation

Co-authored by Eze Sanchez and Amber Crain

Last Updated: September 29, 2022 References

Having a nice conversation and ending it on a good note involves some subtle cues and phrases that are different depending on who you are talking to. Ending a formal conversation with a professional acquaintance or anyone you don’t know well is a bit different from ending a conversation with a good friend or close family member. How you end the conversation also depends on whether you're chatting in person, online, via text, or on the phone. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to end any kind of conversation smoothly!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Wrapping up a Text or Online Conversation

1
Type “Can I can help you with anything else today?” if you're at work. In a professional live chat setting, always end the session by asking the customer if you've answered all of their questions and if there is anything else you can help them with today. Once the customer confirms that they're all set, you can say something like:
- "Don't hesitate to contact us via chat if you need additional assistance."
- "We appreciate your business. Thanks and have a great day."^{[1]
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2
Use “XOXO” to end a text or chat with your crush or significant other. If you're chatting with your crush and you aren't sure how to end the conversation, try signing off with "XOXO" which means "hugs and kisses." This is also a great way to show your interest in the person without seeming too mushy or over the top. It's also a very natural way to end a chat or text session with your significant other.
- If you just met the person, using "XOXO" probably isn't a great idea.
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3
Text “TTYL, I'm driving” to politely end a conversation fast. If you want to end a text conversation quickly without seeming rude, try this approach. "Talk to you later" is vague, so you aren't committed to resuming the conversation later, and everyone knows driving while texting is dangerous. This usually prevents the other person from replying, as well!
4
Mention that a friend just stopped by unexpectedly. This is another great way to end a text or chat session in a hurry without coming off as rude. You can type something like, "A friend just popped over unexpectedly—can we chat later?" or "Someone is knocking on my door—I'd better go see who it is. TTYL!"

If you're not too concerned about politeness, you can just say something like "Someone just popped in—gotta go!" and leave it at that.
5
Tell the person you need to get to sleep. You can say something like, "It's getting pretty late..." or "I'd better hit the sack, I have an early meeting in the morning" to politely and quickly bring a text or chat conversation to an end. If it's late at night and you're both going to sleep, you can end with something like "Sweet dreams!" to officially end the conversation.
- You could also say something like: "I completely lost track of time! I need to go to bed or I'll be useless tomorrow. Let's chat tomorrow!"
- Try playfully saying something like "It's past my bed time" to hint that you need to end the conversation.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Ending a Conversation in Person

1
Wait for a lull in the conversation. Conversations always die down at some point; this happens when one or both of you find it difficult to think of new things to say. If both people are still actively participating and the conversation is interesting, you can keep it going longer. When the conversation dies down, start wrapping it up.The length of time you continue a conversation will differ depending on your relationship with the person.

If it’s a conversation that’s strictly professional with someone you don’t really know or care for, you’ll probably want to end it in 5-10 minutes.

You could continue a more personal conversation with a colleague you like for longer than that.
2
Give a polite reason for ending the conversation. Even if you don’t actually have to leave, all meetings and conversations end at some point. When you’re feeling like it’s time to go, you can say, “I should get going, I have to let my dog out” or anything else that you have to do in your day. You could also say things like:

“I should get home, it’s getting late and I have an early morning.”

“It’s been great talking to you, but I have to go finish some errands.”

"If you'll excuse me, I need to call and check on my kids."
3
Say, “I appreciate your help” if they answered a question for you. If you received help from a boss, supervisor, or colleague, it’s polite to show that you are grateful for the time they spent helping you. You can say this toward the end of the conversation as you thank them, or right as you depart from their office.

Smile and say, "I really appreciate your help with this matter" or "I appreciate you meeting with me today."

To end on a simpler or informal note, you can say, “Great, thanks!” or “That’s super helpful, thank you!”
4
Shake their hand in a formal situation. For someone you just met in a professional environment, you can shake hands again if you’re comfortable doing so. This is especially common in job interviews. Hold your hand out for a hand shake, make eye contact, smile, and say, “It was great meeting you,” or “Thank you again for your time.”^{[2]
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- You can also add “I look forward to hearing from you” if the meeting was an interview or for networking purposes.
5
Suggest a future meeting if you’re networking. If you’re hoping to see the person again professionally, ask if they’d like to get coffee to discuss matters further. Suggest a date within the next couple of weeks, and if they accept, say, “Great, see you then” to end the conversation.^{[3]
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- To make the future meeting more specific, you can suggest a place if you already have one in mind. Or, you can say, “Great, I’ll reach out closer to then so we can decide on a place.”
6
Ask to connect with them on social media. While it's not strictly necessary to ask for permission to connect, it is considered the polite thing to do in a professional setting. You could say, "Thanks for meeting with me. May I connect with you on LinkedIn?" If the other person is a personal acquaintance, you can ask to connect on Facebook or Instagram instead.^{[4]
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- You could end that conversation by saying, "Great, I'll send you a friend request" or, "Awesome, I'll start following you on Instagram!"
7
Ask for or offer a business card in a professional setting. Another natural way to end a professional conversation is to ask for the other person's business card or offer your own. You could ask for their card, glance at it, and say "Thanks again" before walking away.^{[5]
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- If the other person doesn't offer a card, say "Here's my business card. Please get in touch with me in the future if I can help you in any way."
8
Say, “Great to see you!” to a friend you haven't seen in a while. When you’re leaving a friend that you rarely see, be sure to let them know you were happy to see them. Other phrases you can use are “It was so nice to get together“ or “Thanks for making time to meet up!”^{[6]
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You can also end with “Hope to see you again soon!”

Friends who see each other less often tend to be slightly more formal when speaking than those who get together frequently, but your comfort with informality will be based on how well you know the other person.
9
Say, “Catch you later!” or “See ya!” to a friend you see regularly. For close friends or family members that you’re very comfortable with and that you see frequently, it’s really anything goes for ending the conversation. Some people are even comfortable just walking away from a conversation if it seems to be ending, especially in a large group setting, such as a party.^{[7]
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- You can also say “Take it easy,” “Later,” “I’m out,” or “Peace” to end a very informal conversation.
- If you like, mention the next time you will see the person. You can say, “So we’re on for next week again?” or “See ya tomorrow.”

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Ending a Phone Conversation

1
Lead with "Well" or "Anyway..." and provide a warning statement. It’s polite to give the other person a heads up so that you can naturally transition to the end of the conversation without being abrupt. Using "Well..." or "Anyway..." before your warning statement can help create a smooth transition. You can say something like, “Well, I’m sure you’re busy; I’ll let you get back to work.” You could also try:^{[8]
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- “Well, I wish I had more time to chat but..."
- "Anyway, it was great catching up!"
- "Well, tell everyone I said hello."
2
Ask a customer, "Can I help you with anything else today?" If you need to end a work-related call with a customer or colleague, the easiest way is by asking if there's anything else you can do for them. Say something like, "Does that answer all of your questions?" or "Does that solve the issue with the expense report?" to indicate the conversation is over.^{[9]
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- Once the person confirms that they're satisfied, end with something like, "Great. Thanks so much for your business!" or, "It was a pleasure speaking with you. Please give us a call back if you need additional assistance."
3
Ask open-ended questions to transition to the end of the conversation. Simple, open-ended questions usually require quick answers from the other person, allowing you to draw the conversation quickly to a close after they reply. For example, you could ask something like:
- "So I'll see you at 10 a.m. tomorrow, right?"
- So we're meeting up at the coffee shop on 6th Street next Tuesday?"
- "Can you chat again sometime next week?"
4
Use an exit line to end the conversation quickly. If you need to end the phone call immediately, try a polite exit line like, "I've got a meeting in 5 minutes! Let's catch up later" or "I need to get dinner started for the kiddos." Other examples of great exit lines:
- "I have to pick Eric up from softball practice, so I'd better head out."
- "Someone is at the door! I have to let you go."
- "Oh no, I just heard a crash in the next room! I'd better go see what the kids are up to..."

Expert Q&A

Question

How do you leave a conversation in person?

Eze Sanchez
Life & Relationship Coach
Eze Sanchez is a Life & Relationship Coach and the Founder of Eze Sanchez Coaching in Gainesville, Florida. He's been practicing as a coach since late 2016 and has more than 1,000 hours of collective training and experience in personal development. He specializes in helping people find self-acceptance, self-empathy, and self-love through building accountability and kindness for themselves. Eze has an Associates Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Central Florida, a diploma in Massage Therapy from the Florida School of Massage, and a certificate from the Satvatove Institute School of Transformative Coaching.

Eze Sanchez

Life & Relationship Coach

Expert Answer

Be honest about why you need to go so the other person doesn't think that you aren't interested in what they have to say. You might say "I get that there's still a lot more that you want to tell me, but I don't really don't have the capacity right now. I really need to get back to this project for work." When you don't give the person a "why," they tend to fill in the blank on why you're leaving the conversation and take things personally.
Question

How do you end a conversation over text?

Eze Sanchez
Life & Relationship Coach
Eze Sanchez is a Life & Relationship Coach and the Founder of Eze Sanchez Coaching in Gainesville, Florida. He's been practicing as a coach since late 2016 and has more than 1,000 hours of collective training and experience in personal development. He specializes in helping people find self-acceptance, self-empathy, and self-love through building accountability and kindness for themselves. Eze has an Associates Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Central Florida, a diploma in Massage Therapy from the Florida School of Massage, and a certificate from the Satvatove Institute School of Transformative Coaching.

Eze Sanchez

Life & Relationship Coach

Expert Answer

Approach the conversation with honesty and empathy, especially if the conversation is emotionally charged. You might say "This is a really important conversation and there's going to be a lot more we can talk about here, but I'm kind of feeling at my limit. I know this might be painful to hear, but could we talk about this another time?" This is a great way to draw a boundary while letting the other person know that you still care.
Question

Almost every time I start a conversation, it's great at first, but then eventually, inevitably, I end up getting repetitive. Is there any way to avoid this?

Community Answer

Relax and listen. Try to divert your conversation into some other topic when you both have nothing new to talk about.