HED 1102:

COMMUNICATION
SKILLS 1
WEEK 3

MODELS OF communication
Models of Communication
 Linear Communication Model
 Lasswell’s Model
 Aristotle’s Model
 Berlo’s SMCR Model
 Transactional Model
 Shannon & Weaver Model
 Barlund’s Model
 Interactive Model
 Schramm’s Model
 White’s Model
Components of Linear Communication
Linear model has defined set of
components required for a communication
to be established where
•Sender is the person who sends a
message after encoding.
•Encoding is the process of converting
the message into codes compatible with
the channel and understandable for the
receiver.
•Decoding is the process of changing
the encoded message into understandable
language by the receiver.
Components of Linear Communication
•Message is the information sent by
the sender to the receiver.
•Channel is the medium through
which the message is sent.
•Receiver is the person who gets the
message after decoding.
•Noise is the disruptions that are
caused in the communication process
in channel or in understandability of the
message.
 Lasswell's communication
model was developed by
communication theorist Harold
D. Lasswell (1902-1978) in
1948. Lasswell’s model of
communication (also known
as action model or linear
model or one way model of
communication) is regarded as
one the most influential
communication models.
 The first and earliest linear model is that of
Aristotle, who was a teacher of Rhetoric and
even put up an academy to produce good
speakers.

(Message) (Listener)
SPEAK EFECT
SPEECH AUDIENCE
ER
Occasio
n

Aristotle’s Model of Communication

Criticisms of Aristotle’s Model
There are few criticisms around
this model. Some of them are:
•There is no concept of feedback,
it is one way from speaker to
audience.
•There is no concept
of communication failure like
noise and barriers.
•This model can only be used in
public speaking.
 In 1960, David Berlo
postulated Berlo's Sender-Message-
Channel-Receiver (SMCR) Model of
Communication from
Shannon Weaver's Model of Communic
ation
(1949). He described factors affecting
the individual components in the
communication making the
communication more efficient. This
model also focuses on encoding and
decoding which happens before sender
sends the message and before receiver
 Criticisms of Berlo’s SMCR Model
 There is no concept of feedback,
so the effect is not considered.
 There is no concept of noise or
any kind of barriers in
communication.
 It is a linear model of
communication, there is no two
way communication.
 Both of the people must be
similar according to all the
 Transactional model of
communication is the exchange of
messages between sender and
receiver where each take turns to send
or receive messages. Here, both
"sender" and "receiver" are known as
"communicators" and their role
reverses each time in the
communication process as both
processes of sending and receiving
occurs at the same time.
Transactional Model
 Criticisms of Transactional Model

 Without verbal response, the sender can not be

sure that the receiver got the message as
intended. Feedback is an important component in
the communication process, especially in
interpersonal communication as it gives a space to
clarify misunderstandings.
 The transactional model gives the opportunity for a
lot of noise because the communication is
simultaneous. For example, when many people
are talking at the same time in a meeting, the
objective of the meeting will not be fulfilled.
 Differences Between Transactional
and Other Communication Models

Transactional Model Other Models

Used for Intrapersonal,
Used for interpersonal
interpersonal, group or mass
communication
communications.
Senders and Receivers are
Senders and receivers are
known as Communicators, they
different people
interchange their roles
Role of context and environment
Includes the role of context and
are not mentioned in other
environment
models
Includes noise and
Not necessarily have the
communication barriers as
concept of noise
factors
Talks about non-verbal Ignores non-verbal
communication communication
Feedback comes later in
Simultaneous feedback interaction model and is not
 The second model is that of
Claude Shannon and Warren
Weaver (1948) which gave us
the concept of “NOISE”. This is
often called Telephone Model
because it is based on the
experience of having the
message interfered with by
“noise” from the telephone
switchboard back in 1940s.
Shannon-Weaver’s Model of Communication
Example of Shannon-Weaver model
communication process
A businessman sends a message via phone
text to his worker about a meeting
happening about their brand promotion. The
worker does not receive the full message
because of noise. It goes like this:

Businessman: We have a meeting at the

office ("at 8 am" goes missing due to phone
network disruption or noise)
Worker (feedback) : At what time?
Sender : Businessman

Encoder : Telephone network company

Channel : Mobile network

Noise : Distraction in voice

(workplace noises)

Decoder: Mobile phone

Receiver : Worker
Advantages of Shannon-Weaver
Model
 Concept of noise helps in making the
communication effective by removing
the noise or problem causing noise.
 This model takes communication as a
two way process. It makes the model
applicable in general communication.
 Communication is taken as quantifiable
in Shannon Weaver model.
Criticisms of Shannon-Weaver Model
 It can be applied more for interpersonal
communication than group communication
and mass communication.
 Receiver plays the passive part in the
communication process as sender plays the
primary role that sends messages.
 Feedback is taken as less important in comparison
to the messages sent by the sender.
 The model is taken by some critics as a
"misleading misrepresentation of the nature of
human communication" as human communication
is not mathematical in nature.
 Interactive Model
Interactive model (also known as
convergence model) deals with exchange of
ideas and messages taking place both ways
from sender to receiver and vice-versa.
The communication process take place
between humans or machines in both verbal
or non-verbal way. This is a relatively new
model of communication for new
technologies like web.
 Concepts of Interactive Model
In Interactive model, whenever a
source sends a message to a receiver
(source), he/she encodes the message
first. The encoded message is then
received by the receiver where it is
decoded to get the original information.
Again, the receiver acts as a source,
encodes another message (also knows
as a feedback) and sends it back to the
sender.
Interactive Model and Other Models Differences

Interactive Model of Other Models of

Communication Communication

Indirect and slow feedback Direct and fast feedback

Feedback is a whole new Feedback is the part of a single

process of communication communication process
For all other kinds of media like
For new media
print, news, etc.
No engagement of sender and Engagement of sender and
receiver in communication receiver in communication
Sender and receiver is equally Sender is important and
important overpowering than receiver
The receiver is bound to give
It can become linear if the
some kind of response verbal
receiver does not respond
or non-verbal
 An example of Interactive model
is that of Wilbur Schramm, who is
considered the Father of Mass
Communication. He came up with
five models, but the Schramm Model
in (1995) we are concerned with is
the concept that explains why
communication breakdown occurs.
Schramm asserts that
communication can take place if and
only if there is an overlap between
the Field of Experience of the
Speaker and the Field of Experience
Schramm’s Model of Communication
What is Field of Experience?
Field of Experience are the things that
influences the understanding and
interpretation of message like culture, social
background, beliefs, experiences, values
and rules.
Examples:
• a person who always eats with spoon is
informed that that he has to eat with
hands in that place, the person will get
offended because he will think it is
impolite to eat that way.
• the teacher must deliver his/her lecture in
either English or Filipino because that is
the language that students know and use.
 Advantages of Schramm’s Model

 Circular communication gives opportunity

to both parties to give their opinion.
 As it is dynamic and ever changing model,
it is helpful in general practice.
 Sender and receiver interchanges and both
are equally active.
 Semantic noise included as a concept
helps in understanding problems that can
occur during interpretation of message.
 Advantages of Schramm’s Model
 Feedback makes it easier to know if
the message is interpreted by the receiver as
intended or not.
 Concept of interpretation makes the
communication effective.
 Field of experience (psychological effect)
helps to understand the communication
process in many other ways than the
traditional ones..
 Concept of context makes the environmental
factor be included in interpretation of message
and brings change in the message value.
Disadvantages of Schramm’s Model

This model can not deal with multiple

levels of communication and complex
communication processes.
There can only be two sources
communicating, many sources
complicates the process and the
model can not be implemented.
Message sent and received might be
interpreted differently than intended.
The Communication
Process