Page 182 - Effective Communication Soft Skills Strategies For Success by Nitin Bhatnagar, Mamta Bhatnagar

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because of barriers. Let us examine what are these barriers to effective com-
munication and why they lead to ineffective communication.

Table 8.1 The Barriers and Why They Lead to Ineffective Communication
Criticizing: Criticism is often inappropriate and excessive, leading to
defensive and/or aggressive responses. It is often justified as a
way of getting another to improve or perform better. There are
often better alternatives.
Name calling Labels tend to put barriers between us and others, creating a
and labelling: ‘box’ into which we place others. The result is often to distance
others from us.
Diagnosing: A more sophisticated form of labelling practised often by
professionals of various kinds. It can damage communication
for the same reasons as labelling.
Praising Unrestrained praise is often insincere. It can also be
evaluatively: manipulative if the person has an ulterior motive. The result is
often resentment.
Ordering: If ordering is used with coercion, it will create resistance and
anger. Response can range from sabotage to submission.
Threatening: Threatening has the same effects as ordering, but often more
pronounced
Moralizing: Bolton describes this behaviour as people putting ‘…. a halo
around their solutions for others’. (1987). Moralizing creates
many problems including resentment and increased anxiety.
Excessive or Questions are unavoidable and valuable tools of
inappropriate communication but when used excessively, can create boredom
questioning: and unnecessary distance between the people. There are often
better, more direct, ways of communicating.
Advising: Advice is sometimes valuable but when used inappropriately
(which is often) it may damage the other’s confidence or fails to
enhance his or her own problem-solving abilities. It often
prevents a full exploration of the issues.
Diverting: Diverting is used often to avoid the unpleasant, or the
uncomfortable. It creates tension.
Logical Logic is necessary but using a logical argument when the
argument: emotions are running high may be inappropriate because it
creates a distance.
Reassuring: Sometimes reassurance is a way of avoiding the issues whilst
having the appearance of providing comfort. It can, in some
cases, be very frustrating for the person.

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