Effective and Ineffective Response Styles

Lesson 11 Reflection and Discussion
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Lesson 11 Reflection and Discussion
The effective response styles that the authors reviewed include acknowledgment, clouding, and probing. Acknowledgment as a way of responding to criticism involves supporting the critic, so there is no need for further criticism. Acknowledging the criticism, the critic’s further attempts at developing their theme (fault-finding) are halted as there is nothing more to say. However, the strategy only protects the subject’s self-esteem if the criticism is well-deserved and accurate. The clouding technique is another effective strategy and involves agreeing with the critic up to a point: it is especially effective when the criticism is not accurate or constructive (Mckay & Fanning, 2016). The subject of the criticism finds one part of what the critic is arguing and accepts that part either because it is true, logical, or probable. The third effective strategy in dealing with criticisms, particularly vague criticism, is probing. Since the criticism is unclear, the subject asks the critic to clarify his or her intent and meaning and stop name-calling or vague complaining.
On the other hand, the ineffective response styles that the authors reviewed are aggressive, passive, or both. Answering a critic with a cutting rejoinder about themselves is ineffective because it does not provide a long-term counter-solution or help turn a destructive critic into a potentially constructive one. Besides, lashing out at the critic does not improve one’s self-esteem and ma...