By: Myra Golden (submitted by Carmen Gass)

Research shows the average business call lasts two minutes longer than it needs to. The bitter truth is most of us spend far too much time on the phone with customers and co-workers in idle small talk or listening to the whiner, rambler, or storyteller.

So how do you politely end a call when you know it’s no longer productive? I’ll give you six of my favorite strategies for graciously bringing a long-winded caller back to focus. Read more here.