Communication Research

Here are two exercises that may prove useful in discussing power and interpersonal communication.  These topics are covered in depth in Chapter 12 of The Interpersonal Communication Book, but are covered in different ways in other texts as well. So, they may be useful in just about any interpersonal communication or human communication course. They cover "resisting power" and "types of power." Resisting Power In each of the following situations, pressure is being put on you to do something you really don�t want to do�at least not right now. You need to resist this pressure but not damage the relationship. For each situation, identify 2, 3, or 4 possible choices, and then indicate which choice you�d take and why. 1.        Your dating partner is pressuring you to make a commitment about moving in together but you�re just not ready now though you�d like to keep it open as an option in the future. 2.        Your parents, who ...

Strategies for Power Here is a discussion of the communication of power which I wrote for my 50 Communication Strategies book and that I thought might be of interest to a wide variety of readers.   Power is the ability of one person to influence what another person thinks or does. You have power over another person to the extent that you can influence what this person thinks or what this person does. And, conversely, another person has power over you to the extent that he or she can influence what you think or do. Perhaps the most important aspect of power to recognize is that power is asymmetrical : If one person has greater power, the other person must have less. If you are stronger than another person, then this person is weaker than you. If you are richer, then the other person must be poorer. In any one area�for example, strength or financial wealth�one person has more and, inevitably and by definition, the other person has less (is weaker or poorer).   The varied type...