Chapter 9 Power in Interpersonal Communication

How can we define power? Power is known to be a measure of a person's ability to control the environment around them, including the behavior of other people. The term authority is often used for power, perceived as legitimate by the social structure. Power can also be seen as evil or unjust. However, the exercise of power is accepted as endemic to humans as social beings.



In today's class, we discussed the importance of power in interpersonal relationships, emphasizing the nature of power and its principles, its types, and the ways to communicate power.





Principles of Power

What is power? What principles govern the operation of power in interpersonal relationships?


-Some people are more powerful than others; some are born to power, others learn it.
-Some people are more Machiavellian than others; people differ in their beliefs about the extent

to which people can be controlled by others.
-Power can be increased or decreased; power is never static.
-Power follows the principle of less interest; generally, the less interest, the greater the power.
-Power has a cultural dimension; power is distributed differently in different cultures.
-Power is often used unfairly, as in sexual harassment and power plays.





Types of Power



What types of power can one person have over another?


Referent power

: The influence that comes from members' liking and respect for one another.


Legitimate Power

: The influence that comes from the authority of your rate and position in the chain of command.



Expert Power

: Ability to influence someone regarding a course of action because of a specific knowledge, experience or expertise.



Information or persuasion Power

: Having the ability to change people's attitudes largely through the skillful use of language.


Reward Power

: Compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that others view as valuable.



Coercive Power

: Authority or power that is dependent on fear, suppression of free will, or use of punishment or threat, for its existence.







Communicating Power

How can you communicate power?


->Speaking power includes, for example, avoiding hesitations, disqualifiers, and self-critical

statements.


->Nonverbal power includes avoiding adaptors, using consistent packaging, and avoiding

excessive movements.


->Listening power includes responding visibly, maintaining eye contact and an open posture, and

avoiding interrupting.


->Compliance-gaining and compliance-resisting tactics enable you to influence others to do as

you want or enable you to resist compliance attempts of others. Compliance-gaining tactics

include expressing liking, making promises, and threatening. Compliance-resisting tactics

include using identity management and negotiation.


->Empowering others enables them to gain power and control over themselves and over the

environment. Empowering others has numerous advantages, for example, empowered people

are more proactive and more responsible. Empowering others involves such strategies as

being positive, avoiding verbal aggressiveness and abusiveness, and encouraging growth, and

especially helpful and most often greatly appreciated in cases of shyness or high

communication apprehension.