6 Kinds Of Unplanned Interactions, And How They Happen
The Fly-By
This is the classic ‘two people passing each other on the street’ maneuver. The fundamental aspect of the Fly-By is the 2.5 Exchange Rule; two people moving at speed past each other only have time for 2.5 statements if they are to avoid pausing their stride. Example, “Hey/How are you?/Good, you?” (don’t answer that, it’s over).
The Moon Walk
This is what happens if the Fly-By fails and one or both parties pauses to chat. The name comes from the tendency for one or both people to very slowly continue walk backwards away from each other while dragging out the conversation beyond 2.5 exchanges. It ends by necessity when one can no longer hear the other.
The Faux Rush
This is the go-to if there is any possibility of avoiding an exchange altogether. Unlike the Fly-By, one doesn’t have the luxury of having already visibly been rushing so they have to create a sudden call to action that requires them to move quickly away from the impending unplanned interaction. It’s best to employ actions that are recognized from a distance, should they spot you, for example the fake phone call, the throwing of the hands into the air in a sign of ‘sudden recall’ of a meeting. It’s generally very obvious what is happening, however, offense is rarely taken as it tends to be reciprocated.
The Stationary Surprise
This is the most intense of un-planned interactions; it has the potential to become a full-blown conversation as it has the two crucial features of being in a confined space and not having extras to pull you away. There is often a strong sense of lack of control in the midst of a Stationary Surprise. If you are spotted on the bus, sitting in a cafe or in line (and the Faux Rush is not possible or not attempted) and conversation commences (within six seconds) both parties are then at the mercy of external factors to end the interaction as ceasing conversation while still in a confined space is just not possible.
When one or both parties has unknown companions with them it changes the style of the unplanned interaction. The decision to introduce or not must be made in a mere instant.
The Pause & Split
In the case of the Pause & Split, as the parties move at speed, the unknown extras should keep moving while the acquaintances should enter into a Moon Walk. This really comes down to the social skills of the extras, it is their responsibility to keep on moving as they offer a painless reason to keep it brief. If they linger for an introduction it transitions to the Round Table.
The Round Table
This is the full-on group dynamic of introducing all unknowns and saying a few linking statements to unite the group in shared conversation. For example, “This is Rhonda, she is also a Capricorn, and here is Steve, he too enjoys vintage cars like you, Rob, and we are all going to Yum Cha, because we like Asian culture like you, Winny.” This places a lot of pressure on the two ‘hosts’ of the conversation and involves a whole array of social skills with greeting formats, eye contact, laws of chiming etc.