Communication accommodation theory

1. Communication Accommodation Theory By: Sarah Ellison Betina Gose Ryan Robertson

2. Communication accommodation theory aka: CAT Howard Giles first came up with the theory in 1973 Then called Speech Accommodation Theory Uses: CAT can be applied to communication taking place between people who belong to different cultural or demographic groups, based on Age Gender Race or nationality Sexual orientation, religious orientation Political affiliation And many more! CAT

3. Convergent Adapting Enhancing similarities Social approval Divergent Accentuating the differences “ Im not like you.” Maintenance Overaccommodation Why do people choose to communicate this way? Two Strategies in communicating with others…

4. Cultural Context – individualistic vs. collectivistic cultures History of interaction Stereotypes – examples Norms High group solidarity or dependence Examples: Initial Orientation

5. Message sender’s intention vs. receiver’s perception of the intention Conversation is dependent on: Sender’s Ability Receiver’s Ability Outsiders What Matters

6. Facebook page – Danish or English? Pros of convergence: new friendships and networks formed, stronger bonds, greater feeling of belonging Cons: feeling of inauthenticity (true to self?), alienation and lack of understanding from old in-group A Group Members Story

7. A 2002 Study Culturally heterogeneous workgroups from different ethnic , racial, or cultural backgrounds More than 50% of conflict is based in cultural differences Divergent behavior often results in destructive conflict – examples: interrupting others, pointing out status or power differences, ignoring or belittling others Convergent behavior resulted in productive conflict resolution – use of humor, empathy, talk about differences Within the Framework

8. Global communities necessitate interaction with growing minority groups Need for convergent strategies to fully benefit from what all groups have to offer Useful in private and professional sphere Other applications Effective c ommunication is a strong foundation for success! Lesson Learned

9. Group Discussion Get in groups of 4