TYPES OF

COMMUNICATION
STRATEGY
TOPIC
SHIFTING
 TOPIC SHIFTING
A diversionary tactic in which one person in a
discussion (the shifter) manages to subtly
change the discussion's topic to another, related
but different topic, without explicitly
announcing the change of subject or reaching
any kind of mutual agreement that such a
change is appropriate.
• The speakers add another subject of
discussion to the conversation to
make it more interesting and
effective.
• Topic shifting is very important in
keeping the conversation going on
and avoiding silence.
EXAMPLES

A group of pals chatting with one another.

Then one of them said something that made
one of his friends feel uneasy. As a result,
one of their friends changed the subject to
avoid tension between their conversations.
EXAMPLES

A mom asks her son how his

grades are, and the son suddenly
changes the topic to avoid the
question.
 REASONS WHY TOPIC SHIFTING
IS DONE:
• The shifter feels better to be able to defend
their point of view on the second topic than
on the first.
• The shifter views "winning the argument",
or even "not losing the argument" as more
important than working towards a better
understanding of the truth on the original
topic.
 TOPIC SHIFTING CLUES
• Clue words shifts and deictic
expressions
• Explicitly labeled shifts
• Repetition of words
• A pause in conversation
• An expression to evaluate or summarize
the preceding utterances
• A minimal response
THANK YOU-
HAMNIDA!!