French & Raven's Bases of Power (COM 104 Oral Persuasion Exercise)
Referent Power: the person without the power wants to be like the person who has the power who's perceived as more attractive, more prestigious, more wellliked and respected; to acquire this type of power, demonstrate those qualities admired by those you wish to influence
Legitimate Power: think of judges, cops, managers: the one without the power believes the other has the Right to influence or control (because of the position of the power holder); to acquire this type of power, enhance your own role and credibility when you're trying to persuade
Reward Power: the one with the power controls the desired rewards (material or social) or is perceived as controlling the rewards; to acquire this type of power, reward people only when they comply with your requests
Coercive Power: the one with the power can punish those who don't do as desired; people with reward power typically also have coercive power; to acquire this type of power let people know about the punishments for noncompliance (and be sure to follow through on the threats)
Expert Power: the person with the power is perceived as being the expert about the subject; expert power increases if the expert is seen as unbiased and unrewarded for exerting the power; if the expert is perceived as biased and getting something out of getting compliance, their expert power is decreased; to acquire this type of power become an expert and let others know you are one
Information or Persuasion Power: the one with the power is perceived as able to communicate with logic and persuasive ability; to acquire this type of power, enhance your communication competence (e.g., take public speaking, learn to think and speak critically, learn to formulate arguments concisely and logically)