Communication Theory : The Accommodation Theory Of Human Communication

Communication involves the exchange of messages and is a process which all individuals participate in. Whether it is through spoken word, written word, non-verbal means or even silence, messages are constantly being exchanged between individuals or groups of people (Bach & Grant 2009). All behaviour has a message and communication is a process which individuals cannot avoid being involved with (Ellis et al 1995).

​Communication has often been defined by scholar as the process by which people send messages and generate meanings across various contexts, cultures, and media. The process of communicating does not stop; it occurs cycle after cycle. Whether through verbal or non-verbal messages, the transaction takes place and is inevitable, named by scholars as The Principle of Communication Inevitability. Recognizing that communication will exist, whether intentional or not, it is important to understand the various areas of our life where communication may be vital to the success of the structure. One important area is focused on human

Communication is the hub of emotional and social intelligence. Authors De Janasz, Dowd and Schneider state communication is defined as, “the act of exchanging thoughts, messages, or information, it facilitates collaboration and cooperation” these transmissions are presented in different mediums such as writing, reading, speaking, listening, or no-verbally (2015, p.153).

In the article, “Communication: Its Blocking and Its Facilitation” by Carl R, Rogers, a psychotherapist who wrote a book without being a teacher of writing, asserted that psychotherapy will create guidance towards failures of communication and can improve communication between people. Rogers declared that the foremost barrier to be beneficial towards the interpersonal communication is one examining from their perspective. But the barrier can be eliminated if the people stop judging other people’s ideas , opinions without analyzing the other person’s point of view meaning putting themselves in a person 's situation. In fact, he briefly acknowledges the complication of communication towards the people but also provides diverse ways to improve our communication, mainly when contributors are known to support their role. Also, valor is known to be listening compassionately, meaning one extensive towards the risks of changing. In this issue, Rogers elucidates the indifference towards caring about the third party that can improve the adversary achieving mutual understanding by encouraging them as partners to resolve problems, instead of being foes and holding a grudge. Moreover, as social scientist, there is

In 1980, S.F. Scudder proposed that all living beings existing on the planet communicate in some way, even plants. We need to communicate to survive. My paper discusses various communication theories that relate to things that I observed or experienced over the course of my internship.

Why Don't We Listen Better?" By James Petersen starts out by introducing the reader to him, his life, family, and how/why communication became important to him. The author’s intention for this book is to convey to us what communication is and how we should communicate with the people we come in contact with better as people. Communication is about using proper body and verbal language to talk to people. This book offers to the reader techniques on how to become a better listener. Techniques such as acknowledging, helping people accept themselves and feel real support from the listener (which is described as a good listening) (Petersen, 10). Petersen takes the time to describe communication, a word deriving from the root word meaning "to commune"

We communicate both nonverbally and verbally with people even if we do not realize it at the time. The way that we communicate with others is important because communication is both irreversible and unrepeatable (Adler et al., 2015). Once a communicative exchange occurs between people it can never be taken back nor replicated. Every exchange that people have is unique based on the environment it occurs in, the noise that is happening both within the sender and the receiver, and even what is going on around the encounter. Competent communication is communication that is both effective and appropriate. Effective communication is when a sender receives the results that he or she was hoping to get after the encounter; whereas, appropriate communication is when a relationship grows because of the exchange that occurred (Adler et al., 2015). There are several different characteristics of communication competence that produce effective communication overall, which include: a large repertoire of skills, adaptability, the ability to perform skills, involvement empathy, cognitive complexity, and

When analyzing an individual or a group of people, you may recognize similarities in their communication style. From an outside perspective, you may additionally recognize a similar thought process present within the group. Throughout out my paper I will be focusing on two similar theories that explain what you may have observed, groupthink and communication accommodation theory. I will discuss the main focus of each theory, similarities, differences, which theory is better, and how each theory has been applied in research.

Communication plays a major part in our everyday life, if we did not communicate with each other we could not learn, develop relationships or even progress and it is very important to make sure that the best provision is created for all. Different methods can be used as a way of communicating but the way we express it can have

Communication is an ongoing process in which individuals exchange messages whose meanings are influenced by the history of the relationship and the experiences of the participants. (Adler, p.384) Communication depends on relationships between the people who are communicating, and on common basics between them. Problems in communications between people may arise due to differences in cultures, perceptions, values, and expectations from life.

In this paper, I will use CAT (Communication Accommodation Theory) to explain how convergence, divergence, and intergroup contact are illustrated within the film American History X.

From a theoretical standpoint, communication accommodation theory is an important lens to examine to further understand why people feel compelled to change their speaking style. According to communication accommodation theory, individuals accommodate, or adapt, their speaking style because “people tend to mirror each other’s communication styles to display liking and respect” (du Pre, 2017, p. 148). Under communication accommodation theory there are five levels: full convergence, partial convergence, hyperconvergence, speech maintenance, and divergence (Street, 1982). The first, full convergence, occurs when individuals completely mirror another’s speaking style. For example, in intergenerational communication, if a young caregiver modified his or her communication to adopt a slower communication style, they would be exhibiting full convergence. In partial convergence, an individual modifies his or her speaking style, but does not completely mirror their partner’s communication style. When an individual exhibits hyperconvergence, also known as overaccomodation, they display an exaggerated response to their partner’s communication speaking style. An example of this in intergenerational communication would be if a caregiver used “baby talk” when speaking to a patient who was an older adult. As implied, if someone did not adjust their communication style and maintained their own, they would be exhibiting speech maintenance. Finally,

It has been examined that human behaviors change when different technical factors are involved, such as Foot-In-The-Door, Door-In-The-Face, and Reciprocity. These techniques link by the understanding of how one person can be spoken into compliance that directs getting something they want. All three of these connect because it is usually that as one person asks for something, almost always they ask for something in return. In a sense, Reciprocity fits in as one of the techniques that are most commonly used because it could be to respond to a positive action with another positive action. Shown in the 2nd article, written by David A. Gutman, “Reciprocity…is the basis for interpersonal bonds that define a society and an integral part of traditional

Every day, people’s speech styles and patterns shifts through similar social encounters, whether there are mundane conversations between colleagues or a rare meeting between a citizen and the President. Consider an interaction between an employer and an employee? How about an interaction between colleagues and friends? The way we interact and communicate with either party differs; this intergroup interaction is what academics describe as the Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) (Gallois, Ogay, & Giles, 2005). More specifically, this theory explains the motivation commutators have to either converge with or diverge from each other during the communication phase (Gallois, et al., 2005). According to Gallois, et al. (2005), the social human connection is a series of convergences and divergences, one converging to bridge the gap that separates individuals to form a stronger bond. In stark contrast, they (2005) describe divergence as the rejection of one individual rejecting a certain or a series of verbal and nonverbal behaviors as a mean to maintain their individuality.

This paper is going to show insight and inside knowledge of the communication accommodation theory through convergence, divergence, social identity, and initial orientation. Throughout this paper, evidence will be shown through these four different elements and four studies on how they play an enormous role within communication behavior. Research that I have conducted show studies that have tested and analyzed how participants in each test use these four elements when speaking with a foreigner. I am going to apply these tests and results to my own experiences when I am speaking with a foreigner, specifically for when I am in Sweden each summer when I am communicating with Swedes. Then I will to go through and analyze how I converge, diverge, use initial orientation and social identity while speaking with a Swede.