It's a simple tool. Like any tool, you need to know when and how to use it. A conference would not be a great example, as there is generally plenty of other con

It's a simple tool. Like any tool, you need to know when and how to use it. A conference would not be a great example, as there is generally plenty of other context to discuss there. And yes, knowing when/how to exit a conversation is another important skill in itself. But "run out of things to say" is not always accurate. It's sometimes "locked up on what to say next" or "a struggle to get over the hump to both parties opening up". Sometimes there are still interesting conversations to be had if you can get past that. If you write off everyone just because they aren't great conversationalists or are introverts, you will skip over a lot of interesting people.