Models of Communication

Model is a concrete way to see how concepts and processes work. Although models help to simplify the complex process of communication, we need to understand that they only REPRESENT reality.

Models are like words. Words are not reality. They cannot tell us everything about an object or event. E.g. The word ‘apple’ is not an actual apple. We cannot slice or eat the word ‘apple’. Besides the word ‘apple’ does not tell us everything about an apple either – the smell, the colour, the texture, the taste, the degree of ripeness, etc. Like words, these models are also not reality. However they are extremely valuable in helping us visualize and understand the process of human communication. Let’s look at three communication models that shows the various communication components interact.

1.      Linear Model

One of the simplest models of communication was advanced by C. E. Shannon and W. Weaver [1949]. It is a message centred approach to communication which is linear in design. This model has a source sending a message through a channel to a receiver. Here Shannon and Weaver introduced a component labelled noise to represent any interference to the fidelity of the message. Such as external noise from other person’s loud talking or internal noise such as multiple meaning for a word contained in the message.

Limitations: Liner model is useful for pointing out the basic elements of the communication process but it is too simple to describe the complexity of the process. It shows only the flow of messages from the sender to the receiver, but not the receiver’s response.

2.   Interactional Model

Communication involves more than message transmission portrayed in the linear model. The feedback should be taken into account. Feedback is the process of sending information from the receiver back to the source. The source uses this feedback to adjust his message based on what the receiver communicated. The source’s modification of the original message is called adaptation. The source sends a message to the receiver, the receiver responds with feedback, and source adapts his message until the message is successfully communicated.

Limitation: Interactional Model is too simple to accurately reflect the communication process.

3.    Transactional Model

Often messages are sent and received simultaneously. Moreover the source and receiver can be one or more. This is one of the primary characteristics of this model.  The key point of this model is that communication operates systematically with a collection of interdependent parts arrayed in such a way that a change in one of its components will affect changes in all the other components. In this model, all the components of communication viewed as interdependent not independent. A change in one brings change in all.

Here we need to understand that perception and its interpretation play pivotal role in the process of communication. Our interpretations rely on physical, psychological, cultural and position in space.

Please refer:

http://pirate.shu.edu/~yatesdan/Tutorial.htm

for excellent graphics for these models.