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Too many questions can interfere with communication!Can excessive questioning interfere with communication?
Questioning is an essential communication skill that helps us understand the other person, while sending the message that we are truly interested in what the other person has to say. But, even well intentioned questioning in conversations can backfire. When you use too many questions the other person may feel that you are attacking them, asking them for justification when they'd rather not justify themselves, and cause defensiveness in their responses. This applies to many different kinds of questions, but one tends to elicit defensiveness -- the why question. When you ask why too often, the other person will almost certainly feel defensive, and attacked. That's not to say you can't use why questions, but it does mean you need to be aware of using too many of them in too short a time. It's also sometimes the case that people will mistake the use of questions for attempts to "lead them" to the answer you want. Overuse of questions, and use of questions that appear leading, or when questions are used to express opinions rather than trying to understand, interfere with effective understanding in communication. Keep in mind that a dialogue or conversation is not an interrogation. Share you own feelings, and use questions to try to understand another person, but use them in moderation. |
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