Bridging is a technique used to nudge a conversation away from a negative or unanswerable question to a more positively framed answer or message.

Note: This is not used to avoid answering questions that should be answered. Bridging should be used to help ‘cool down’ a tense conversation.

https://youtu.be/cvvAvh9e3uM?t=19

Bridging Templates

1. “And what’s most important to know is…”
2. “However, what is more important to look at is…”
3. “However, the real issue here is…”
4. “And what this all means is…”
5. “And what’s most important to remember is …”
6. “With this in mind, if we look at the bigger picture…”
7. “With this in mind, if we take a look back…”
8. “If we take a broader perspective, …”
9. “If we look at the big picture…”
10. “Let me put all this in perspective by saying…”
11. “What all this information tells me is…”
12. “Before we continue, let me take a step back and repeat that…”
13. “Before we continue, let me emphasize that…”