Communication and Power
What do we mean by communication and power?
Communication: There are many ways to communicate. For example: reading, writing, speaking, listening, numbers, visual means, technology and the media. In fact, communication is the basis of all our relationships - at home, at work, within any community or group and beyond. We need to be able to communicate so that people can know and understand our experience and perspective. Communication includes all the different ways of ensuring that our voice is heard - by different people, in different languages, in different contexts and at different times. Further, different types of communication are effective at different times.
Communication is not unidirectional - it is both transmitted and received. It is not only about getting our voice heard, but also hearing and understanding others. The key challenge for Reflect is to enable people to use all types of communication. People need to be able to deal critically with communication that they receive, and they need to actively develop, reproduce and use alternative forms of communication. Enhancing people's capacity to communicate is an effective means of altering inequitable power relations.
Power: No communication is neutral - the capacity to
communicate and be heard is determined by power relationships that need to be
analysed. By linking communication and power we are focusing beyond the technical
aspects of communication and considering the various factors which influence
our ability to get our voice heard. Being unable to communicate is both a cause
and effect of inequitable power relationships.
Communication and power in different contexts:
Although there are many different aspects of communication, at any one time it is likely that we will be using more than one form of communication. By strengthening our ability to communicate in one way, at one time, we are likely to increase our confidence in communicating in another. All types of communication are interlinked.
Below are some examples of different contexts and the types of communication which we might come across in our lives:
Government power: There is often a complex maze of bureaucracy and procedures involved in dealing with government offices. Knowing who to talk to, when and how is crucial to negotiating effectively. Understanding how things are supposed to work and how budgets are supposed to be spent can strengthen your position. Being confident to deal with officials in authority (who may speak a different language and are often higher class, educated males) is essential. Knowing how to fill in forms and having all your "papers in order" is necessary if you wish to access your entitlements or assert your rights (those without proper documentation are effectively illegalised and excluded).
Economic power: The links between communication and power are often very evident in people's dealings with landowners, money-lenders or banks, contractors or middle-men, traders, companies and employers. Most obviously power is sustained by the ability to manipulate or mystify numbers but this is often linked to complex written documents (such as contracts with lots of small-print). In a market context it is often the sound or force of voice used which enables people to secure the best bargain, while visual representations are used to illustrate patterns in the economy at national or international level.
Social power: There is a strong correlation between the ability to communicate and social status. The way people are perceived and the level to which their "word" is valued is often linked to literacy. The ritual of giving thumb-prints or signing helps to reinforce this and make it internalised. The image we portray of ourselves, our posture, ability to make eye-contact etc. are all crucially important when considering social interactions. Further, the way we talk (and on what subjects) illustrates how much power we feel we have in social situations.
Political power: Oral skills carry a huge weight in political circles. At election time it is often the style of speaking, rather than what is actually said which influences people's vote. Political campaigning relies on the power of visual tools, with posters often speaking much louder than words. Political power is often centralised in the hand of one person who can sign or not sign a certain paper. Budgets are the key to whether policies are given priority and can be implemented.
Religious power: Imagery and icons are used to powerful effect by most religions. In text-based religions like Christianity or Islam the written word is presented as the word of God - helping to create the myth that the written word is somehow absolute. Yet equally religions depend on the power of oratory, for example in sermons, and on the power of physical communication through various rituals.
Civic power: The practice of power in community organizations and associations or unions is often strictly ritualized. Having an effective say often requires a lot of confidence and an understanding of procedures, norms and conventions (knowing how to do things "by the book"). In largely non-literate communities the secretaries, treasurers and chairs of such organizations are almost invariably the literate and numerate few.
Our own power: As organizations which implement Reflect we are likely to construct an image of ourselves as invisible, neutral facilitators - when in fact we can be powerful social and economic players in the local environment. This is often evident in the way in which we communicate. Much of this may be unconscious, but: the jargon we use; the way we speak to people; write in notebooks; prepare plans and budgets; give out leaflets; use logos; carry briefcases and have pens in our pockets - make us key agents of the power of communication. How we practice that power will be of critical importance to the wider process.
What we aim to do:
Based on a broad understanding of communication, and linking this to power
relations, the Reflect approach aims to:
All of these aspects are crucial if power relations are to be challenged and people are able to communicate effectively. In terms of this project, they are crucial to ensure that people are able to make meaningful choices about how technology grants are spent, who controls technology and what it is used for.
** this paper is taken from 'Communication and Power' resource
materials, published by CIRAC.
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