Power of Goodbyes

"Bye" he said, with the slightest of impatience in his voice.

And it stuck with me for 30 seconds afterward. Did I say something wrong? Was our conversation a drag for him? I don’t think so; the whole rest of the conversation was great.

In my experience (and I heard a talk that backed it up, by Daniel Pink I think?) the way we close a conversation has a power to set the tone that is disproportionately higher than the rest of the conversation. Why, after a conversation was great, can the split-second goodbye make me question that?

So it makes sense that we should purposefully choose our words and tones we use for ending conversations. So why not spend about a minute and choose and practice a couple that are patently you, and that leave the conversation on a high note.

Here are some thoughts as I consider what I might choose as my goodbyes. Maybe I have a couple go-to's, depending on how close I am to the person. Feel free to use this to help you choose some/one!

• Use their name

• "Take care, [name]... bye for now."

• "Let's talk soon... bye [name]"

• "Ciao!"

• "Have a great day/night, [name]!"

• "Bless you, [name]"

• "Peace. Brother/Sister."

• Say it calmly and purposefully, with a smile they can hear.

• "You bring me life, [name]... bye for now."

• "Love ya, buddy! Bye."

Raw Spoon,

July 26, 2020