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Models of Communication

The document outlines various models of communication, emphasizing the importance of modeling in understanding complex communication processes. It categorizes these models into Linear and Non-Linear types, detailing foundational models such as Lasswell's and Shannon and Weaver's, as well as more interactive models like the Transactional Model and the Ecological Model. Each model offers unique perspectives on the communication process, highlighting the roles of senders, receivers, and the influence of context.

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2 views

Models of Communication

The document outlines various models of communication, emphasizing the importance of modeling in understanding complex communication processes. It categorizes these models into Linear and Non-Linear types, detailing foundational models such as Lasswell's and Shannon and Weaver's, as well as more interactive models like the Transactional Model and the Ecological Model. Each model offers unique perspectives on the communication process, highlighting the roles of senders, receivers, and the influence of context.

Uploaded by

wandrew11
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Models of Communication

Objectives
By the end of this session, it is hoped that the learner will have;
• Understood the need for modeling in learning
• Become familiar with the different types of models used in
communication
• Differentiated between Linear and Non-Linear models of
Communication
• Become conversant with the application of each of the models in
the contemporary world context
Communication Models
• Given the complexity of life, we always need to devise simple
approaches that can help us to understand complex real life scenarios.
• Models, that are usually drawn from theories, help us in achieving this
goal by reducing complexity into easy to understand illustrations.
• Communication models are generally grouped into two; Linear and
Non-Linear Models. As their names suggest, they tend to show the
general flow of communication.
• Linear models generally show communication flowing horizontally in a
linear format and examples of these models are; Lasswell (1948) and
Shanon and Weaver (1948).
• Non-Linear (Interactive) Models show the flow of communication
taking more than just the linear format. Examples of these include;
Kotler Model, Transactional Model and the Ecological Model
Lasswell's model of communication (1948)
• One of the earliest and foundational model in the discipline.

• Named after Harold Lasswell, an American political scientist and


communication theorist, who theorized that communication
answered five fundamental questions; “who”, “says what”, “in what
channel”, “to whom”, and “with what effect?”

• It was developed following the study of media propaganda of


countries and business entities at the time

• It was a linear framework that has been depicted in both horizontal


and vertical formats.
With What
In which
Who? Says What? To Whom? Effect?
Channel?
COMMUNICATOR MESSAGE RECEIVER EFFECT /
MEDIUM
FEEDBACK
Shanon and Weaver Model (1948)
• Also one of the earliest and fundamental models of analysing how
communication is sent and received. It is also at times referred to as the
‘information theory’.
• Unlike the model postulated by Lasswell, it was from a Mathematics
background and was more popular; at times being referred to as the “mother
of all models”.
• Like Lasswell’s model it also sought to offer responses to five areas; the source,
the transmitter, the channel, the receiver, and the destination.
• However, it was more complex than the Lasswell model given that it
introduced concepts like noise (explaining how messages can get lost and
distorted)
“The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing a message sent from
one point, either exactly or approximately, to another point” – Shannon (1948:379)
From Linear to Cyclical
• Like with all models / theories,
this model was late revised in
1954 to add a seventh
component of feedback.

• This additional component


changed the model from being a
totally linear one to a cyclical
model

• It is worth noting that there were


other contributors to the
modification to the model were
notably Norbert Weiner
Interaction Model of Communication
• As suggested by its name, it is a model in which participants alternate
positions as sender and receiver and generate meaning by sending messages
and receiving feedback within physical and psychological contexts.

• The goal of the model is not to check for the effectiveness or otherwise of
the communication, but rather to depict the process

• It seeks to improve on the basic linear models of communication by infusing


the component of feedback (ay response to another message) thus making it
interactive / a two-way process.

• Each participant alternates roles as sender and receiver in order to keep a


communication encounter going. You alternate between the roles of sender
and receiver very quickly and often without conscious thought.
Transactional Model of Communication
• Barnlund (1970) argues that the things that differentiate this model
from the linear and interactive ones are; its conceptualization of the
communication process, the roles of the sender and receiver, and the
role played by the context in which communication happens.
• It has also been defined as a process in which
communicators generate social realities within social, relational,
and cultural contexts.
• In this model communication is seen as a constructive force in shaping
people’s realities through how they;
• Create new relationships / maintain existing ones
• Engage in inter-cultural communication
• Internalise and share their self-concept
• Engage with others to form communication communities
Transactional Model of Communication – cont’d
• Under this model sender and receiver are replaced with communicator
given the simultaneous interchange between these two roles.

• Transaction Model of communication frames communication as a


force that shapes your realities before and after specific interactions
occur, it must account for contextual influences outside of a
single interaction.
Kotler’s Model of Communication
• This model was developed by Kotler in 1967 and was primarily used in
the marketing sphere. It has not gained a lot of popularity in the field
The Ecological Model of Communication
• The Ecological Model seeks to account for the reality that
communication has evolved rom the popular models that were popular
in the 1950s to 1970s period.

• At its core, this model, as argued by Prof. Davis Foulger, is based on


‘three fundamental constructs - messages, languages, and media - that
enables communication.”

• He further argues that, ‘Key issues in the interaction of these elements


are their socially construction, the ways in which they enable each
other, and their relationship to creators and consumers of messages.’
Propositions of the Ecological Model
1. Messages are encoded with language and processed, stored, and/or
transmitted via media
2. Consumers of messages attempt to reconstruct that meaning based on the
content of the message.
3. The creator and consumer roles are different, but may be (and often are)
associated with the same person.
4. When people construct messages they do so using appropriate
construction materials (to create meaning / be understood).
5. Messages are instantiated (made concrete / real) using language
6. People must learn language and media in order to be able to create and
interpret messages.
7. People create (e.g. invent and evolve) languages and media.
Take-home Task:
Research and discuss in your various groups at least five merits and five
demerits of each of the Models of Communication above

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