ENG001 – COMMUNICATION ARTS 1

ARISTOTLE’S MODEL OF COMMUNICATION:

Aristotle, a great philosopher initiated the earliest mass communication model. He proposed the model before
300 B.C and found the importance of audience role in the communication chain. This model is more focused on
public speaking than interpersonal communication.

Aristotle Model of Communication is formed with 5 basic elements

(i) Speaker, (ii) Speech, (iii) Occasion, (iv) Audience and (v) Effect.

Aristotle advises speakers to build speech for different audience on different time (occasion) and for different
effects.

Speaker plays an important role in Public speaking. The speaker must prepare his speech and analysis audience
needs before he enters into the stage. His words should influence in audience mind and persuade their thoughts
towards him.

Example:
Alexander gave brave speech to his soldiers in the war field to defeat Persian Empire.

Speaker – Alexander
Speech – about his invasion
Occasion – War field
Audience – Soldiers
Effect – To defeat Persia

LASSWELL’S MODEL OF COMMUNICATION

Harold Dwight Lasswell, the American political scientist states that a convenient way to describe an act of
communication is to answer the following questions
Who
Says What
In Which Channel
To Whom
With what effect?

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This model is about process of communication and its function to society, According to Lasswell there are three
functions for communication:
1. Surveillance of the environment
2. Correlation of components of society
3. Cultural transmission between generation

Lasswell model suggests the message flow in a multicultural society with multiple audiences. The flow of
message is through various channels. And also this communication model is similar to Aristotle’s
communication model.

In this model, the communication component who refers the research area called “Control Analysis”,
Says what is refers to “Content Analysis”,
In which channel is refers to “Media Analysis”,
To Whom is refers to “Audience Analysis”
With What Effect is refers to “Effect Analysis”

Example:
CNN NEWS – A water leak from Japan’s tsunami-crippled nuclear power station resulted in about 100 times
the permitted level of radioactive material flowing into the sea, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said on
Saturday.

Who – TEPC Operator

What – Radioactive material flowing into sea
Channel – CNN NEWS (Television medium)
Whom – Public
Effect – Alert the people of japan from the radiation.

Advantage of Lasswell model:

It is Easy and Simple
It suits for almost all types of communication
The concept of effect

Disadvantage of Lasswell model:

Feedback not mentioned
Noise not mentioned
Linear Model

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SHANNON AND WEAVER MODEL OF COMMUNICATION

In 1948, Shannon was an American mathematician, Electronic engineer and Weaver was an American scientist
both of them join together to write an article in “Bell System Technical Journal” called “A Mathematical
Theory of Communication” and also called as “Shannon-Weaver model of communication”. This model is
specially designed to develop the effective communication between sender and receiver. Also they find factors
which affecting the communication process called “Noise”. At first the model was developed to improve the
Technical communication. Later it’s widely applied in the field of Communication. The model deals with
various concepts like Information source, transmitter, Noise, channel, message, receiver, channel, information
destination, encode and decode.

Sender : The originator of message or the information source selects desire message

Encoder : The transmitter which converts the message into signals

Note: The sender’s messages converted into signals like waves or Binary data which is compactable to transmit
the messages through cables or satellites. For example: In telephone the voice is converted into wave signals
and it transmits through cables

Decoder : The reception place of the signal which converts signals into message. A reverse process of encode
Note : The receiver converts those binary data or waves into message which is comfortable and understandable
for receiver. Otherwise receiver can’t receive the exact message and it will affect the effective communication
between sender and receiver

Receiver : The destination of the message from sender

Note : Based on the decoded message the receiver gives their feed back to sender. If the message distracted by
noise it will affect the communication flow between sender and receiver

Noise: The messages are transferred from encoder to decoder through channel. During this process the
messages may distracted or affected by physical noise like horn sounds, thunder and crowd noise or encoded
signals may distract in the channel during the transmission process which affect the communication flow or the
receiver may not receive the correct message
Note : The model is clearly deals with external noises only which affect the messages or signals from external
sources. For example: If there is any problems occur in network which directly affect the mobile phone
communication or distract the messages

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Example:
Thomson made call to his assistant “come here I want to see you”. During his call, noise appeared
(transmission error) and his assistant received “I want” only. Again Assistant asked Thomson (feedback) “what
do you want Thomson”.

Sender : Thomson
Encoder : Telephone (Thomson)
Channel : Cable
Noise : Distraction in voice
Reception : Telephone (Assistant)
Receiver : Assistant.
Due to transmission error or noise, Assistant can’t able to understand Thomson’s messages.
*The noise which affect the communication flow between them.

Criticism of Shannon-Weaver model of communication:

1. One of the simplest model and its general applied in various communication theories
2. The model which attracts both academics of Human communication and Information theorist to
leads their further research in communication
3. It’s more effective in person-to-person communication than group or mass audience
4. The model based on “Sender and Receiver”. Here sender plays the primary role and receiver
plays the secondary role (receive the information or passive)
5. Communication is not a one way process. If it’s behaved like that, it will lose its strength. For
example: Audience or receiver who listening a radio, reading the books or watching television is
a one way communication because absence of feedback
6. Understanding Noise will helps to solve the various problems in communication

OSGOOD- SCHRAMM MODEL OF COMMUNICATION

It is a Circular Model, so that communication is something circular in nature

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Encoder – Who does encoding or Sends the message (message originates)

Decoder – Who receives the message
Interpreter – Person trying to understand (analyses, perceive) or interpret
Note: From the message starting to ending, there is an interpretation goes on. Based on this interpretation only
the message is received.

This model breaks the sender and receiver model it seems communication in a practical way. It is not a
traditional model.

It can happen within our self or two people; each person acts as both sender and receiver and hence use
interpretation. It is simultaneously take place e.g. encoding, interpret and decoding.
Semantic noise is a concept introduced here it occurs when sender and receiver apply different meaning to the
same message. It happens mostly because of words and phrases for e.g. Technical Language, So certain words
and phrases will cause you to deviate from the actual meaning of the communication.

Note: When semantic noise takes place decoding and interpretation becomes difficult and people get deviated
from the actual message.

Advantage of Osgood- Schramm model of communication

1. Dynamic model- Shows how a situation can change
2. It shows why redundancy is an essential part
3. There is no separate sender and receiver, sender and receiver is the same person
4. Assume communication to be circular in nature
5. Feedback – central feature.

Disadvantage of Osgood- Schramm model of communication

This model does not talk about semantic noise and it assume the moment of encoding and decoding.

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