A doctor must take care of the appropriateness of his message according to the recipient: talking to a colleague is not the same as talking to a patient.
Adequacy is a term whose etymological root is found in the Latin word adaequatĭo . It is about the act and consequence of adapting : adapting, adjusting or fixing something so that it fits something else.
The concept of adequacy is used in different contexts. In the field of communication , the idea of adequacy refers to the respect that a text must have for different parameters and criteria linked to the communication situation , the subject, the receiver and the sender.
Appropriateness of a text or message
The adequacy of a text , in this way, implies that it meets various principles to be understandable and relevant. In order for the text to be interpreted by the recipient, their knowledge and linguistic variations must be addressed, to name two issues. The sender, on the other hand, has to use intertextual resources precisely.
A doctor, for example, must be able to adapt his message to the environment and the recipient. The professional cannot speak in the same way to a colleague as to an eight-year-old child.
It is possible to qualify a text in different ways, depending on the element with respect to which we analyze it: for example, it can be appropriate or inopportune depending on the situation; appropriate or inappropriate according to the recipients; appropriate or inappropriate in relation to the topic discussed in its lines. This concept is found in the group of so-called classical rhetoric , along with elegance, clarity and correctness, three other stylistic notions, and was coined in the 1960s.
Adequacy can be linked to adaptation.
Facilitate understanding
As can be seen, adaptation is not a process or property that can take place automatically and spontaneously, but rather requires the consideration of other concepts, such as non-verbal communication, the relationship between text and context, knowledge encyclopedic, polyphony, empathy, voices of discourse and presuppositions, among others.
When we talk about encyclopedic knowledge in this context, we refer to the culture that the receiver possesses, to the tools at his disposal to interpret the message sent by the sender, make inferences or make predictions. At this point the frame is also mentioned, since it is the basis on which the receiver can locate the information, to compare it with their previous notions.
The two concepts just explained have a directly proportional relationship with the understanding of the message: the less encyclopedic knowledge the recipient has and the lower their frame of reference on the topic discussed, the less likely they will be to understand the information presented by the sender, and therefore He must make an effort to adapt it.
Empathy and point of view are two other essential concepts for communication to take place successfully. The adaptation of the message to the recipient's particular situation, their history and the relationship they may feel with the information is very important to avoid any negative repercussions. Returning to the case of a doctor talking to his patient, he must also take into account the impact that his words may have on his patients, especially before giving them bad news.
Adaptation to standards
Adaptation can also refer to adaptation to a new regulatory framework . In Argentina , after the promulgation of the Audiovisual Communication Services Law ( Law 26,522 , also known as the Media Law ), the State forced Grupo Clarín to modify its structure to adapt to the new legislation. Said adaptation should be carried out according to the deadlines set by the Judiciary .
In the case of Grupo Clarín , the adaptation meant getting rid of licenses to reduce its market share. The Argentine government at that time maintained that, in this way, freedom of expression was favored since new communication actors could be added.