Communication Accommodation Theory PDF

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The theory is a communication theory that emphasizes the adjustments that people do during communication. It was developed by Howard Giles, a professor of communication at the University of California; According to Professor Giles, the theory is applicable when people try to emphasize or minimize th...

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Running Head: COMMUNICATION ACCOMMODATION THEORY

Communication Accommodation Theory

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COMMUNICATION ACCOMMODATION THEORY

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Communication Accommodation Theory Introduction The theory is a communication theory that emphasizes the adjustments that people do during communication. It was developed by Howard Giles, a professor of communication at the University of California; According to Professor Giles, the theory is applicable when people try to emphasize or minimize the existing social difference between themselves and others during communication. Factors that lead to the accommodation activity are, therefore, adjustments, which in most cases are done verbally or by the use of gestures. The theory originated from the speech adjustment theory that is used when developing the value of psychological concepts when understanding the dynamics of speech. However, it is vital to note that the theory revolves around many fields, including nonverbal and gestures (Gallois, C., & Giles, 2015). The Communication accommodation theory describes the human ability to make adjustments to their behavior during an interaction. The reason why humans adjust their behavior during communication is for them to control the social difference between the interactants. People tend to accommodate their communication activities to get approval and create a positive image with the people they interact with. The environment in which people interact also can affect the communication behavior of individuals (Simmons-Mackie, 2018). The communication accommodation theory can be explained using two processes, namely, convergence and divergence. Convergence refers to a situation where a person tries to adapt to another person's communications characteristics to reduce the existing social differences. On the other hand, divergence contradicts the adaptation method used in the above context since the individual, in this case, places much emphasis on the existing social and the

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non-differences between the people interacting. Besides, the processes, in most cases, on the characteristics portrayed by the other party. People tend to accommodate their communication while interacting with people they feel have higher standards than those who portray a character they feel is better than theirs (Gallois, C., & Giles, 2015). Communication accommodation theory is usually influenced by social psychology and is besides guided by four conventions. The first assumption is when there is communication; there are likely to be similarities and differences in the way people communicate. In most cases, the characteristics people portray when communicating are based on their cultural backgrounds and how they grew up. Secondly, a conversation can only be evaluated after clearly understanding the intention of a given talk, and the behavior one exhibits when talking. The third assumption, in theory, is that language and behavior contribute greatly in determining an individual's social status and behavior. This is portrayed in instances where people try emulating people's behaviors are higher than them when communicating. The last assumption states that there are rules that guide the process of accommodation, and they, therefore, vary with their degree of appropriateness. These norms are meant to discover people's behavior, and people are thus expected to act appropriately based on the norms (Giles, 2016). The communication accommodation theory. It can be applied in various communication processes in daily conversations. For instance, in a company, the communication and accommodation theory can be used when communicating or effectively delegating duties among employees. Besides, the theory helps the subordinates adapt to how to communicate well with their supervisors. For example, Mike was once a new employee in a given company. As he took time learning more about the company and understanding the work environment, he came across his senior manager, who informed him that he had a passion for painting (Giles, 2016). The

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senior managers' passion was different from what other employees within the company had. The next time Mike interacted with the senior manager, he tended to glorify the beauty associated with painting and even acknowledge a painting the manager had displayed in his office, making the officer happy. In this situation, we can conclude that Mike accommodated his behavior into fitting into the senior manager's passion, which was to paint an act that impressed the manager (Simmons-Mackie, 2018). For example, in media, the media personnel tend to adjust their way of communication and content to seek approval from the people they interact with. In an instance where they want to reinforce a strong group of identification, they can communicate with people outside the group that does not clearly show their difference. This tendency is mainly seen in sports and politics reporters. The theory is therefore widely used by a wide sphere of people who involve in numerous activities. However, this does not imply that we need to change our way of communication when talking to people from cultures that are different from our own but try finding balance in our communication style each time we communicate (Giles, 2016).

References

COMMUNICATION ACCOMMODATION THEORY Gallois, C., & Giles, H. (2015). Communication accommodation theory. The international encyclopedia of language and social interaction, 1-18.

Giles, H. (2016). Communication accommodation theory. The international encyclopedia of communication theory and philosophy, 1-7.

Simmons-Mackie, N. (2018). Communication partner training in aphasia: Reflections on communication accommodation theory. Aphasiology, 32(10), 1215-1224.

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