Communication accommodation

Communication Accommodation Theory, formerly known as Speech Accommodation Theory, is a result of the work of Howard Giles, Communication professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. This is a pragmatic theory that looks at the phenomena of interactants altering the way they communicate when in differing communication situations. Communication accommodation explains this by exploring the way persons in an interaction affect each other.

Examples of communication accommodation

Examples abound wherein individuals accommodate or change the way they speak in a given situation. Nearly every relationship we have entails a particular accommodation of speech.

• When speaking to children we adjust the way that we speak as well as the words we use to accommodate the individual to whom we are speaking.

• When speaking to the elderly we often change the way that we interact, including our speech patterns and behaviors and might show more respect (McCann, & Giles, 2006).

• When giving information during a job interview, an individual is going to accommodate his/her speech to the situation and person to whom they are speaking.

• One would not talk the same way to his/her boss as he/she would to his/her friends.

• Individuals speak to their parents differently than they speak to their peers.

Convergence

Convergence is the concept that an individual changes their speech pattern in various interactions. This concept has extended to include not only speech patterns but behaviors as well. For example, someone might not only change their way of speaking but also how they act and even dress more smartly if they were to meet their girlfriend's parents for the first time. This interaction might cause a young man to dress more nicely than usual, act in a calmer and perhaps more inquisitive manner and speak with a politeness that is not usual to his everyday demeanor. (Miller, 154). Individuals in an interaction might converge for the purpose of demonstrating that they approve of the other person in the interaction (Gibbons, 2005).

Divergence

This occurs when an individual places strong emphasis on a communicative act that is different than the one to whom they are speaking. For example, one might exaggerate a Southern United States drawl when speaking to a person from the north who comments positively on the Southern accent. Individuals might also resort to this tactic to show disapproval (Gibbons, 2005).

Maintenance

Communication accommodation recognizes the fact that not every aspect of a person's speech or behavior changes in different interaction. There are often many aspects that remain constant in various conversations. Maintenance is a phenomenon that occurs when an individual does not change particular communication acts or behaviors (Miller, 154). For instance, while an individual who usually jokes around with her friends may not joke around with her potential boss during an interview (convergence), she may joke around with a new acquaintance when they are introduced to each other by a family member; thus, maintaining that particular aspect of their communication behavior.

Reasons for convergence and divergence

Giles' work has been explained as a psychological reaction that individuals have in wanting to be liked. People reason that similarity to others creates an attractiveness for themselves. Particularly of great focus, are people with higher status. Wanting to be liked by others with greater position encourages us to act more like them and thus accommodate to their communication styles when interacting with them (Miller, 155-156). Ostensibly, meeting the expectation of others is the factor that most strongly guides us in whether we converge.

There are instances when others are particularly looking for differences in others and so we may diverge to meet those expectations (Miller, 156). These situations and situations wherein individuals want to demonstrate their differences because of pride in that difference (eg., nationality, language, etc.), may lead people to diverge.

Uses for today

Giles has studied the interaction of young and elderly persons in business settings using Communication Accommodation as a theoretical framework. Findings demonstrated that elderly persons tend to be less accommodating than their younger counterparts. While several other factors came into play, convergence, and divergence portions of this theory were used in interpreting and explain this phenomenon (McCann, & Giles 2006).

Among this and other studies, Giles has also looked at the actions and attitudes in the public's interaction with police officers, using Accommodation theory. Relational and identity aspects of this theory help to demonstrate interaction patterns that exist between the public and the police in the various situations that these interaction take place (Giles, et al., 2005). This study looked at both the accommodation patterns of the officers and the public with whom they were dealing.

References

• McCann, R., & Giles, H. (2006). Communication with people of different ages in the workplace: Thai and American data. Human Communication Research, 32, (1), 74-108.

• Miller, K. (2005). Communication theories: Perspective, processes and contexts (2nd ed). NY: McGraw Hill.

• Law enforcement, communication and community. Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development, 26, (3), 265-267.

• Giles, H., Fortman, J., Dailey, R., Barker, V., Hajek, C., Anderson, M.C., & Rule, N., (2005). Communication accommodation: Law enforcement and the public. Center on Police Practices and Community COPPAC . Retrieved October 27, 2006 from http://repositories.cdlib.org/isber/coppac/articles_chapters/