“How do you end a conversation?”
I was speaking to a person I’ve recently connected with, and this question came to mind.
As we approached the end or what appeared like an end to the conversation, I felt an awkward sense.
It was almost as if I forgot how to say, “Goodbye or talk to you later.”
Instead, I started to reiterate the same things I already said 30 seconds ago.
Can you relate?
Have you done this before?
Then, after a few seconds of nothing but silence, I said, “Well, I look forward to hearing from you soon. Have a great day!”
This wasn’t the first time I’ve experienced this.
In fact, I’ve been fascinated by this concept as long as I’ve been aware of it.
What does awkward even mean? What makes something awkward? Do all conversations have their own unique level of awkwardness?
In looking at previous experiences, I’ve realized that part of the awkwardness came from the event being different from the ones I’m used to.
The difference in environment, style of communication (some prefer to take a pause before speaking in order to think things through while others don’t), medium of communication (phone or in person), and many other differences.
I then came to a conclusion.
“It’s only awkward if I make it awkward.”
The only reason why this conversation appeared to be awkward is because of the expectations I had on how I thought it should end.
So, instead of looking at this as something to avoid, I started to look at this sense of awkwardness as something to embrace.
As you think about similar moments within your life, what does awkward mean to you?
What makes something awkward?
Do all conversations have their own unique level of awkwardness?
