The conversation has gone off track, now what?

Author: Emma Andrews, 14 May 2026

You’ve planned your engagement session.
You’ve got a clear focus.
You know what you need to talk about.

And then the conversation starts… and it goes somewhere entirely different.

It’s not uncommon for people to bring up issues that have nothing to do with the topic at hand. That’s because people like to talk about what matters to them, not what’s on your agenda.

If this happens you need to take notice as it could be a result of:

• frustration that hasn’t been addressed

• confusion about something else

• or a feeling that they haven’t been heard before

If you shut that down too quickly, you risk losing trust. But if you let it take over completely, you lose direction.

Find the balance by acknowledging what’s being said, let people feel heard, and guide the conversation forward. Sometime this takes courage, as you need to step in when you may feel uncomfortable.

Empathise with their situation, recognise the situation may be frustrating or difficult for them. Ask them why they feel this way. Create a safe environment so you can more easily steer the conversation back to where you need.

You can use terms like “I see why you must feel that way”, or “I recognise that must be frustrating for you”.

This is a learned skill that takes practice, but eventually you’ll pick up on cues and know the right language to use to help change the tone of engagement.