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Insight Horizon Media

What are the different types of power in communication?

Author

Mia Smith

Published Feb 26, 2026

What are the different types of power in communication?

The five bases of power are referent, expert, legitimate, reward, and coercive power.

What are power currencies?

We interact with each other daily; we either have control and power such as authority, influence, or dominance on others or the way around. This control or power is defined as the power currencies.

What are the five characteristics for effective interpersonal communication?

The five elements of interpersonal communication are that (1) it involves independent individuals who each have their own motivations, expectations, and interpretations of communication; (2) it involves self disclosure, or revealing personal thoughts, feelings, and reflections; (3) it is rational in that it is meant to …

What is interpersonal power?

Interpersonal power is therefore the power of one individual “over” another as opposed to an individual’s power to do something, the capacity of an actor to attain some goal (as in Russell 1938). …

What were the 5 sources of power identified by French and Raven 1968 )?

They identified those five bases of power as coercive, reward, legitimate, referent, and expert.

What is referent power in interpersonal communication?

The ability to empathize with subordinates gives a leader referent power in communication. This means that they can identify with how their subordinates feel and think because they can relate back to their own similar experiences in the past.

What is an example of social currency?

People can gain influence through various means. They may share content on social media as subject experts, for example, in an engaging way that attracts a following. Followers, in turn, are another example of social currency, and people with larger groups of followers naturally have more influence.

What is social currency in social media?

Social currency refers to the genuine and probable resources of a user because of the presence on social networking sites and virtual communities, which includes both digital and offline.

What are the 4 types of interpersonal communication?

When it comes to basic elements of interpersonal communication, the various types of possible communication will cluster under four basic categories: verbal, listening, written, and non-verbal communication.

What are the 3 example of interpersonal communication?

Interpersonal communication can take many forms. For example it can be verbal (speaking face to face), written (in a letter or an email, for example) or non-verbal (for instance facial expressions and body language).

What are the 6 types of power?

Successful people know that there are six kinds of power that you can earn in an organization and only a few of them are given by the company.

  • Coercive Power.
  • Reward Power.
  • Positional Power.
  • Expert Power.
  • Referent Power.
  • Networking Power.

What are the 7 types of power?

In her book, Lipkin writes about these specific types of power and why it’s important for leaders to understand what type of power they’re using.

  • Legitimate Power.
  • Coercive Power.
  • Expert Power.
  • Informational Power.
  • Power of Reward.
  • Connection Power.
  • Referent Power.

What are the four types of power currencies?

There are four different types of power currencies that people can have over one another. They are called R.I.C.E.; Resource Control, Interpersonal Linkage, Communication Skills, and Expertise. Your power depends on these types of “currencies,” because power depends on having currencies that other people need.

Does your power depend on your currencies?

Your power depends on these types of “currencies,” because power depends on having currencies that other people need. And in return, if other people possess currencies that you need, they have power over you (Wilmot & Hocker, 2011).

Why is it important to classify power in interpersonal communication?

Classifying different types of power that people can exert over one another in interpersonal communication can help analyze the power balance in any situation. It can assist people in leadership positions exert influence over subordinates, and help one of the parties in an argument or negotiation get the upper hand.

What is the base of interpersonal power in an organization?

The base of interpersonal power in an organization is the expert power. Expert power is based on the special knowledge, skills and expertise that a leader possesses. This type of power may be limited to the particular area in which the expert has training and proficiency.