This is an excerpt from Lynda Margaret's ezine article I recently subscribed to..... re-printed with kind permission. 

There is a very smart lady who I know and love very much (you know who you are).  I used to be confounded on how this woman seemed incapable of being drawn into an argument.  In certain situations, I would find myself hotly debating a certain topic and getting myself whipped up into a frenzy.  I found that this lady could manage to keep herself out of any such debates, whilst still remaining sociable and friendly.  I admired her ability to do this and took it upon myself to watch her very carefully during future encounters, in order to learn how she exercised her spirit of tolerance without causing difficulties in the flow of conversation. 

It’s not that she didn’t have opinions, for in fact I know that she has very strong opinions and religious beliefs which she upholds, but she believes in “live and let live”.  In watching her, I learned that you do not have to reply to someones opinion with your own opinion.  This is not a necessary part of communication.  I noticed that when someone said something to her which I knew was contradictory to her own beliefs, that she responded by saying “That’s very interesting.  Tell me more.” 

I then adopted this practice into my own life.  At first it felt fake for me not to disclose my opinion on every matter that was discussed, but I soon learned that healthy conversation is about making people feel comfortable and not imposing yourself upon them.  So now, “That’s interesting” is a very powerful conversation tool for me. 

It’s amazing how showing a genuine interest in peoples differences makes them want to open up and tell you more.  You will become more educated about different people and different lifestyles, as well as being a much more enjoyable person to talk to.