What communication theories can help you address power imbalances in client work?
Power imbalances are a common challenge in social work, as clients often face oppression, marginalization, and discrimination from dominant groups and systems. How can you communicate effectively and respectfully with your clients, while acknowledging and addressing the power dynamics that affect them? In this article, we will explore some communication theories that can help you enhance your client work and promote social justice.
Empowerment theory is a framework that aims to help clients increase their sense of control, agency, and self-efficacy in their lives. It involves recognizing the strengths, resources, and goals of your clients, and supporting them to overcome barriers and challenges. To apply empowerment theory, you need to communicate with your clients in a way that validates their experiences, respects their autonomy, and encourages their participation. You can use techniques such as active listening, open-ended questions, affirmations, and feedback to facilitate empowerment.
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In my life experiences I learned customer care in the thrid grade at my Dad's grocery store 'McGills Market.' I waited tables through college. I have a Masters Degree in Education, and have taught in all levels from Middle-School to Colleges and Universities. Owned a Variety Store, A Inn in Minnesota for dinning, bar and off-sale. In 1996 I Started my Speaking and Trainng Company. I taught in the power of fives. One of my many sets are as follows: 1. Don't be a Jerk. 2. Listen spells Silent. 3. Honor the person not in the room. 4. Don't nibble on a Turd. 5. Do not catch the 5-B FLU. When we become, Bittle. Brittle. Break. B- - - - and Blame. Grateful, with gratitude, faith, grit, grace and active hope, Patricia McGill
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Communication theories like Empowerment Theory and Social Learning Theory can help address power imbalances in client work. Empowerment Theory encourages fostering a sense of control and self-efficacy in clients, while Social Learning Theory supports the idea of modeling and observational learning to promote positive behavioral changes.
Critical theory is a perspective that examines how social structures, ideologies, and discourses shape and maintain power relations and inequalities in society. It challenges the assumptions, norms, and values that justify oppression and domination. To use critical theory, you need to communicate with your clients in a way that exposes and critiques the sources and effects of power imbalances, and explores alternatives and possibilities for change. You can use techniques such as dialogue, reflection, analysis, and action to foster critical consciousness.
Narrative theory is an approach that views people as the authors of their own stories, and emphasizes the role of language and meaning in shaping their identities and realities. It suggests that people can re-author their stories by identifying and challenging the dominant narratives that constrain and disempower them. To apply narrative theory, you need to communicate with your clients in a way that helps them externalize their problems, discover their preferred narratives, and celebrate their achievements. You can use techniques such as storytelling, questioning, mapping, and documenting to support narrative practice.
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Some great ways to deploy narrative theory in communications and marketing is to allow your organization or the client to self-assess. They can tell you what their story is, highlight what they want their story to be, and define risks, and opportunities that can help tell that narrative. In my work I use storytelling most often, it allows me to create content that shares the emotional challenges and benefits one can experience, and to also personalize the organization or client's product to the audience. Another example of narrative marketing is building stories that highlight positive testimonials as well.
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Narrative theory is often (unknowingly) also applied in product management. The role of a product manager is to understand the customers’ problems and solve them. Good product marketing comes from good research and tells the story they heard during research back to their customers with the product as the solution.
Feminist theory is a movement that advocates for the rights, equality, and liberation of women and other oppressed groups. It exposes and confronts the gendered, racialized, classed, and sexualized forms of power and violence that affect people's lives. To use feminist theory, you need to communicate with your clients in a way that honors their diversity, agency, and resilience, and challenges the patriarchal, heteronormative, and colonial systems that oppress them. You can use techniques such as empowerment, solidarity, advocacy, and activism to promote feminist practice.
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Feminist theory is always intersectional. When crafting communications that are led by feminist theories you highlight the systemic challenges women face and in doing so connect them to their intersection with other equity seeking groups. Black trans women, trans women, and working class women experiences multi-faceted challenges in securing equity at work, and in society. Elevating the intersection of injustice and providing meaningful solutions is at the core of feminism. Things you can particularly focus on are human impact stories, stories of success from resilience, and highlighting the cost benefit that comes when the heteronormative models are challenged by showing the brilliance of women that has led the way to equity for all.
Cultural competence theory is a concept that refers to the ability to interact effectively and respectfully with people from different cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and values. It involves developing awareness, knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable you to understand and appreciate the diversity and complexity of human cultures. To apply cultural competence theory, you need to communicate with your clients in a way that acknowledges and respects their cultural identities, preferences, and needs, and avoids stereotypes, biases, and judgments. You can use techniques such as self-assessment, cultural humility, rapport-building, and adaptation to enhance cultural competence.
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Culture impacts all of our lives, and it is intrinsic to how one responds, engages, and values a product or company. In marketing cultural competency understands segmentation, and to best connect with users, donors, or consumers those segments should be accurate reflections of various cultures, and highlighted in ways that honors each without contributing to harmful stereotyping. Cultural humility is a great perspective to bring to new avenues and when communicating about new equity initiatives. The other approach that is helpful is centering diversity in your creative room, hiring and equipping communications folks from various backgrounds creates more equitable marketing and communications for everyone.
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