How to Redirect the Conversation (Bridging)
Before we continue, let me emphasize...
Bridging is a technique 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.
Bridging Talking Points
And what’s most important to know is
However, what is more important to look at is
However, the real issue here is
And what this all means is
And what’s most important to remember is
With this in mind, if we look at the bigger picture
With this in mind, if we take a look back
If we take a broader perspective
If we look at the big picture
Let me put all this in perspective by saying
What all this information tells me is
Before we continue, let me take a step back and repeat that
Before we continue, let me emphasize that
This is an important point because
What this all boils down to is
The heart of the matter is
What matters most in this situation is
And as I said before
And if we take a closer look, we would see
Let me just add to this that
I think it would be more correct to say
Let me point out again that
Let me emphasize again
In this context, it is essential that I note
Another thing to remember is
Before we leave the subject, let me add that
And that reminds me
And the one thing that is important to remember is
What I’ve said comes down to this
Here’s the real issue
While...is important, it is also important to remember
It's true that…but it is also
At the end of the day
When it comes down to it
In the grand scheme of things
All things considered
To sum it up
Looking at the situation as a whole
To put it another way
The main takeaway is
In conclusion
To wrap things up
The bottom line is
In essence
Simply put
In short
What it boils down to
To get to the point
The fundamental point is
The core issue is
On the whole
The ultimate point is
The crux of the matter is
Ultimately
To cut to the chase
To bring it all together
When we break it down
When we analyze this further
To clarify
In a nutshell
To distill it down
What stands out is
It's clear that
Upon closer examination
In light of this