diff --git a/lib/tasks/cognigy/index.js b/lib/tasks/cognigy/index.js
index 0ddaf20d..c4d3aabc 100644
--- a/lib/tasks/cognigy/index.js
+++ b/lib/tasks/cognigy/index.js
@@ -263,16 +263,16 @@ class Cognigy extends Task {
     try {
       // lets wait until we have finished processing the speech before
       // starting a gather...
-      this.logger.debug("enqueued bot final ping gather");
+      this.logger.debug('enqueued bot final ping gather');
       this._enqueueTask(async() => {
-        this.logger.debug("executing bot final ping gather");
-      try {
+        this.logger.debug('executing bot final ping gather');
+        try {
           const gatherTask = this._makeGatherTask();
           await gatherTask.exec(cs, ep, this);
         } catch (err) {
           this.logger.info({err}, 'Cognigy final ping gather task returned error');
         }
-        this.logger.debug("executed bot final ping gather");
+        this.logger.debug('executed bot final ping gather');
       });
 
     } catch (err) {
diff --git a/lib/tasks/gather.js b/lib/tasks/gather.js
index 2faad08f..39e22547 100644
--- a/lib/tasks/gather.js
+++ b/lib/tasks/gather.js
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ class TaskGather extends Task {
     this.minBargeinWordCount = this.data.minBargeinWordCount || 1;
     // this is specially for barge in where we want to make a bargebale promt
     // to a user without listening after the say task has finished
-    this.timeout = this.data.listenAfterSpeech === false ? 1 : (this.timeout || 15) * 1000;
+    this.listenAfterSpeech = this.data.listenAfterSpeech === false;
+    this.timeout = (this.timeout || 15) * 1000;
     this.interim = this.partialResultCallback || this.bargein;
     if (this.data.recognizer) {
       const recognizer = this.data.recognizer;
@@ -99,15 +100,21 @@ class TaskGather extends Task {
     try {
       if (this.sayTask) {
         this.logger.debug('Gather: kicking off say task');
-        this.sayTask.exec(cs, ep);  // kicked off, _not_ waiting for it to complete
+        this.sayTask.exec(cs, ep).then(() => {
+          this.logger.debug('Gather: completed say task promise');
+          if (!this.killed) {
+            if (this.listenAfterSpeech) {
+              startListening(cs, ep);
+            } else {
+              this.kill(cs);
+            }
+          }
+          return;
+        }).catch(err => this.logger.error({err}, 'Gather: failed to play say task'));  // kicked off, _not_ waiting for it to complete
         this.sayTask.on('playDone', async(err) => {
           if (err) return this.logger.error({err}, 'Gather:exec Error playing tts');
           this.logger.debug('Gather: say task completed');
-          if (!this.killed) {
-          
-              startListening(cs, ep);
 
-          }
         });
       }
       else if (this.playTask) {