Staying on Topic

It is crucial not only to keep the conversation going, but also to keep it reasonable. Getting off topic can bring down a discussion very quickly. Sometimes losing the topic is completely unintentional, and the conversation may only need one of the participants to redirect. You might try saying, “That’s interesting, but let’s get back to the question that Steven asked a minute ago.”

Read the comments that follow in this activity. They are a continuation of the discussion from the last section. The topic is still the importance of tolerance as part of a good life. Which of these comments should be encouraged with a statement such as “That’s interesting. Can you say more about that?" and which comments should be followed by a redirection such as, “That’s interesting, but let’s get back to the question that Steven asked a minute ago?"

Click on the comment you think should come next for each of these examples. The text for correct response will change to green, and the text for the incorrect response will change to red; check your understanding after each possibility for further explanation.

1. “I had an aunt who was lactose intolerant her whole life. I don’t know if that is genetic. I guess it’s possible that at some point I may have to give up milk products. I’d hate to have to give up ice cream.”

Where should the discussion about “tolerance as part of a good life” go now?

1. “That’s interesting. Can you say more about that?”
2. “That’s interesting, but let’s get back to the question that Steven asked a minute ago.”

Check Your Understanding

Sample Response:

Answer B is correct. The statement should be redirected because it is about a different kind of tolerance entirely. It would be difficult to find a productive way to bring it into the discussion about a good life.

Close


2. “I grew up with parents who had a sense of everyone being equal. They would often talk about how we should treat everybody respectfully, no matter what. They would tell me, though, that there were certain kids they didn’t really want me to bring back to the house. It was very confusing to me. They thought they were tolerant, but I don’t think they were.”

Where should the discussion about “tolerance as part of a good life” go now?

1. “That’s interesting. Can you say more about that?”
2. “That’s interesting. But let’s get back to the question that Steven asked a minute ago.”

Check Your Understanding

Sample Response:

Answer A is correct. This is a valuable contribution. Many productive replies could follow this. Someone might observe how actions are more revealing than words, or someone could ask the speaker how this affected his or her attitude toward the “unwelcome friends.” There is definitely more to say about the information introduced here.

Close


3. “Doesn’t tolerance imply that you don’t like something? You wouldn’t say that you are tolerant of opera if you really liked opera in the first place. In other words, isn’t tolerating your neighbor a long way short of loving your neighbor? How does tolerance square with the Golden Rule?”

Where should the discussion about “tolerance as part of a good life” go now?

1. “That’s interesting. Can you say more about that?”
2. “That’s interesting. But let’s get back to the question that Steven asked a minute ago.”

Check Your Understanding

Sample Response:

Answer A is correct. This is a valuable contribution that could take the discussion in several directions. Someone might want to explore whether tolerance really implies not liking something. Someone else might want to say that tolerance is at least a first step, even if it does imply dislike—so need it be an end point? Yet another party to the discussion might discuss how far we can take the Golden Rule and what the different forms of the Golden Rule mean in different cultures.

Close


4. “I’m sick of people being tolerant and saying that I should be tolerant. I think way too much harm is done in the world by people who want to be tolerant. I think we should have some indignation about the way things go wrong in the world.”

Where should the discussion about “tolerance as part of a good life” go now?

1. “That’s interesting. Can you say more about that?”
2. “That’s interesting. But let’s get back to the question that Steven asked a minute ago.”

Check Your Understanding

Sample Response:

Answer A is correct. This is a valuable contribution as long as the speaker’s tone of voice is not combative. The reply raises some very important questions: Does tolerance resign people to the status quo? Does tolerance lead to cultural stagnation? The crucial element is that people who raise such questions are interested in other ideas and are willing to change their minds. If they don’t want to have any of their ideas changed, they should not participate in the discussion.

Close

There are two reasons to redirect back to the previous comment:

1. To stop a digression
2. To postpone a valuable, but new, topic