The Three-Beat Exit

A smooth exit has three beats: signal, summarize, and separate. The signal is a subtle shift — glancing at your watch, shifting your weight, or changing your tone. The summary references something positive from the conversation.

Example: "I should go find my colleague" (signal), "but I really enjoyed hearing about your trip to Portugal" (summary), "let's stay in touch" (separate). The whole sequence takes under ten seconds and leaves both people feeling good about the exchange.