How can I end a phone call with a friend who just won’t get off the line, without sounding abrupt? Oddly enough this is quite a test. The secret is to try to avoid giving the caller the impression that he or she is keeping you or that your time is more important than his or hers, yet by the same stroke calling a halt to the phone call.

Escape may lie in bringing the talk round to a topic that is a prelude to saying goodbye. Simply thanking the person for ringing or for relaying a piece of news may do the trick as this has an air of tying up the loose ends of the conversation. An end to the dialogue is then relatively easy to introduce.

Some Love Stories readers have a ploy for dealing with the inconvenience of talkative callers. You could schmooze callers by stating that you really mustn’t keep them any longer or you must let them get back to their busy life. A diplomatic stroke, as it suggests that you are the one who has to forgo the pleasure.

Of the usual standby excuses for ringing off, such as saying you will ring back, or there’s a car waiting or you must go to run an errand, we think that the claims of having to answer a doorbell or the arrival of somebody probably works best.

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