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Communication Models:
Communication is seen as central to our everyday ideas about what
makes life worth living. It is not surprising that academicians have
attempted to unravel the secrets of the communication process. In this
section of the study we will examine the theorizing and theories of this
discipline of communication. To understand communication theory we
need to understand the nature of communication.
Communication Model
Communication experts have long been striving to arrange elements of
communication into some graphic arrangement so that all the
complexities of communication may come in view in a glance. But
before we try to examine them let’s try to understand what a model is.
What is a Model?
 Models represent system or process. They give us an idea of
complicated objects or events in a simple and general way. They are
a symbolic way at looking towards any system.
 A model is a systematic representation of an object or event in
idealized and abstract form. Models are somewhat arbitrary by their
nature.
 Communication models are merely pictures; they’re even distorting
pictures, because they stop or freeze an essentially dynamic
interactive or transitive process into a static picture.
 Models are metaphors. They allow us to see one thing in terms of
another.
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Communication Models
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Lasswell’s Model: 1948
Claude Shannon, an engineer for the Bell Telephone Company, designed
the most influential of all early communication models. Hisgoal was to
formulate a theory to guide the efforts of engineers in finding the most
efficient way of transmitting electrical signals from one location to
another (Shannon and Weaver, 1949). Later Shannon introduced a
mechanism in the receiver which corrected for differences between the
transmitted and received signal; this monitoring or correcting
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mechanism was the forerunner of the now widely used concept of
feedback (information which a communicator gains from others in
response to his own verbal behavior).
Berlo’s S-M-C-R, 1960
Ehninger, Gronbeck and Monroe: “The simplest and most influential
message-centered model of our time came from David Berlo (Simplified
from David K. Berlo, The Process of Communication (New York: Holt,
Rinehart, andWinston, 1960)):”
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Source: the source encodes the message to be delivered. Factors found
within the source are as follows:
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Communication Skills
Knowledge
Social System
Culture
Attitudes
Communication skills, social system and culture, attitude, and amount of
knowledge all affect both the source and receiver in the communication
process. Communication skills allow us to encode and decode our ideas
or thoughts. Different cultures or social systems communicate
differently; they determine word choices and meanings associated with
certain words or gestures. Attitude plays a significant role in the idea
that is being presented, be it attitude toward self, receiver, or subject
matter and of course one’s knowledge or lack thereof will affect the
communication process.
Message: the message is the product of the source or encoder. There are
three factors included in the message:
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Code
Content
Treatment
The message is the meaning of something, as of a word or words, or
work of art. The code of the message may be language, music, art,
dance, or body gestures. In deciding which code to use the source must
also choose the element of code. The elements of the code of art may be
watercolor, oils, pastels, etc. The element of code employed by the
Media specialist may be the English language using nontechnical terms.
The treatment of the message is the arrangement of the code and content,
the structure of the information given and which parts of the messages
are emphasized.
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Channel: the channel is the mode of encoding and decoding the
message. The five senses are used as channels of communication:
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Seeing
Hearing
Touching
Smelling
Tasting
Berlo describes the elements of the channel of communication as the
vehicles which transport the message. He uses the analogy of a person
sending a package to someone across the river using a dock, boat and
water as the channels of transportation. In communication the channel
contains encoding and decoding devices. These devices may come in the
form of sound waves for speech and light waves for visuals.
Receiver: the receiver who receives your message. The elements found
in the receiver are the same as those found in the sender:
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Communication Skills
Knowledge
Social System
Culture
Attitudes
As noted in the Source: communication skills, social system and culture,
attitude, and amount of knowledge affect both the source and receiver in
the communication process. The receiver in this model would then
become the source, encoding information via feedback to the original
source which had now become the receiver.
Osgood-Schramm’s Interactive Model, 1954
Wilbur Schramm (1954) was one of the first to alter the mathematical
model of Shannon and Weaver. He conceived of decoding andencoding
as activities maintained simultaneously by sender and receiver; he also
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made provisions for a two-way interchange ofmessages. Notice also the
inclusion of an “interpreter” as an abstract representation of the problem
of meaning.From Wilbur Schramm, “How Communication Works,” in
The Process and Effects of Communication, ed. Wilbur Schramm
(Urbana:
University of Illinois Press, 1954), pp. 3-26):
Dance’s Helical Spiral, 1967
It depicts communication as a dynamic process. “The helix represents
the way communication evolves in anindividual from his birth to the
existing moment.” (Mortensen)
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Frank Dance explains the communication process based on this Helix
structure and compares it with communication. In the Helix structure,
the bottom or starting is very small then it’s gradually moves upward in
a back and forth circular motion which forms the bigger circle in the top
and it still moves further. The whole process takes some time to reach.
As like helix, the communication process starts very slowly and defined
small circle. Communicators share information only with small portion
of themselves to their relationships. Its gradually develops into next
level but which will take some time to reach and expanding its
boundaries to the next level. The communication process, like the helix,
is constantly moving forward and yet is always to some degree
dependent upon the past, which informs the present and the future. The
helical communication model offers a flexible communication process”
The above example again makes the Helical model of communication
clear. According to the Helical model as the process of communication
moves forward it also comes back and is largely dependent on the past
behaviour of the individual. The model believes that communication
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process is just like a helix which moves forward as well as comes
backward and is dependent on the behaviour patterns of the past
definitely with some modifications and changes. As the child grows up,
he does make slight changes in his past body movements or past
pronunciation or facial expressions. He makes certain changes,
modifications in his communication and tries to get rid of the
communication errors. An individual will definitely get less nervous in
his teenage days as compared to his childhood days, thus a slight change
in his behaviour.
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