I’m not sure. If someone Tells you some things that end with a request, that doesn’t mean you need to be as detailed with your response.
Like with the example given in the OP, “It would be awfully convenient networking for me to stick around for a bit after our meeting to talk with you and [the next person you’re meeting with]. But on a scale of one to ten, it’s only about 3 useful to me. If you’d rate the loss of utility for you as two or higher, then I have a strong preference for not sticking around.”
Perfectly valid response: “Yeah, it’s over 2. Thanks for preferring not to inconvenience me!”
I’m not sure. If someone Tells you some things that end with a request, that doesn’t mean you need to be as detailed with your response.
Like with the example given in the OP, “It would be awfully convenient networking for me to stick around for a bit after our meeting to talk with you and [the next person you’re meeting with]. But on a scale of one to ten, it’s only about 3 useful to me. If you’d rate the loss of utility for you as two or higher, then I have a strong preference for not sticking around.”
Perfectly valid response: “Yeah, it’s over 2. Thanks for preferring not to inconvenience me!”