Models of

Communication
Introduction
 One way to understand the principles and
processes that define the nature of communication
is through modeling. Models are descriptive tools
meant to approximate things.
 We otherwise would have trouble seeing,
imagining or describing. Over the years,
numerous models have been offered as
representations of what is involved when humans
communicate. Different scholars have put forward
different models of communication.
Various Models of Communication

Aristotle Thill - Bovee

Lasswell Berlo

Shannon - Weaver Newcomb

Schramm Dance
Waltawick – Beavin -
Murphy Jackobson

Katz - Lasarfeld Rogers – Kincaid

Leslikar – Petitt -
Westley - Maclean Flatley

Katz - Lasarfeld
 1. Aristotle
 Aristotle first gave a proper framework to the science of
communication in his RHETORIC.
 He proposed a simplistic model for Communication which
had a sender, a receiver and a message as it's components.
 It formed the crux around which the later theories were
based.
 Aristotle emphasised on the persuasive tactics used by the
sender in bringing about a change in the thinking process
of the receiver.
 In this model the source or the sender were of primary
importance.
 The process of Communication is one way.
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 2. Lasswell
 He extended the scope of Aristotle's model of
communication by laying emphasis on the channel
which the speaker selected to bring about a change
in the thinking process of the receiver.
 The three factors on which he laid emphasis were :

The speaker
The message
The channel.
 However his model too proposed a one way

direction of Communication.
Spe Mes Cha
aker sage nnel
 3. Shannon - Weaver
 The two Integrated the concepts proposed in the
earlier models and process prior to the transmission
of the message.
 This was a step above the existing models as it
recognised the importance of the sign theory which
stated that the message should never be imparted in
its raw form.
 It should always be encoded in a form which would
be accepted by the receiver.
 Together with this they also recognised the potential
of noise in distorting the message.
 Though the flow of communication in their model
was only one way, it nevertheless had the vital
component of feedback in it.
 This was a major step as it pioneered the move to
two way process.
 In the year 1949 Claude Shannon an electrical
engineer with Bell Telephone and Warren Weaver,
of the Rockefeller Foundation propounded a
mathematical model of communication.
 They attempted to do two things :

1. Reduce the communication process to a set of

mathematical formulas
2. Discuss problems that could be handled with a
model.

 It is simple liner model which is easy to

understand.
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 However, this model has an interesting additional
element.
 Shannon and Weaver were concerned with noise in
the communication process.
 The “Noise” concept introduced by Shannon and
Weaver can be used to illustrate “semantic noise”
that interferes with communication.
 Semantic noise is the problem connected with
differences in meaning that people assign to words,
to voice inflections in speech, to gestures and
expressions to other similar “noise” in writing.
 4. Schramm
 The best known model which has so far been
proposed was of Wilbur Schramm in 1955.

 He proposed three models of Communication - each

an improvement on the existing one.
 First Model
 The first model was more or less in tune with what had been
proposed by Shannon - Weaver.
 It too laid emphasis on the encoding phase in the process of
Communication where the message was transmitted from the
sender to the receiver.
 While dealing with the important constituents of
Communication, Schramm, however, did away with the
element of noise and restricted himself only to the source and
the message as was proposed in the initial phase by Aristotle.
 The direction of the flow of communication too was one way.
Info Tra Rec
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 Second Model
 In his second model Schramm extended the scope of his
theory by stressing the significance of the shared field of
experience between the sender and the receiver.
 Within his framework the sender needed to select a
channel and transmit the message encoded in a form
which was acceptable to the receiver.
 For the first time the receiver was taken into
consideration and his field of knowledge was also
thought to be equally important.
 The direction observed by communication in this case
too was one way.
Informatio Transmitte
Message Channel Receiver
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 Third Model
 The third model proposed by Schramm was a major
breakthrough in the field of communications as for the first
time it proposed the significance of a response from the
receiver.
 Together with the encoding of the message and transmission of
the same through a proper channel it necessitated that the
receiver after decoding the message transmitted the response to
the sender.
 The scope was now extended to encompass within it both the
sender as well as the receiver together with the important
component of the message and the feedback.
 The path observed by communication was circuitous with a
feedback system ingrained in it.
 This model manages to convey the concept of communication
in the least complex manner.
Informa Trans Messa Chann Recei Decod Feedb
tion mitter ge el ver ing ack
 The field of experience presented in the model connotes
the frame of reference to the individual within which he
formulates his ideas for receives the message.
 The various components in his message were:
 The source - sender's mind
 Encoding process - the mind formulates the idea and
gives it a form and shape and translates it into words or
symbols.
 Signal - the channel or medium through which it is
transmitted.
 Decoding process - when the message reaches the
receiver he translate the signs and the word or symbols
and give them a meaning according to his own frame of
reference.
 Destination - listener's mind.
 5. Murphy’s Model
 Murphy’s model of communication process is in
fact propounded by three writers:
1. H.A.Murphy
2. H.W.Hildbrant
3. J.P.Thomas

 According to this model, there are six components

of communication process.
 Context
stimuli
Sender - Encoder Message Receiver - Decoder

•(experiences,
•(experiences,
attitudes, skills)
attitudes, skills)
•Receptor
•Perception
•Idea encoding • Medium mechanisms
(verbal – non verbal) •Perception
•Symbol decisions
•Decoding
•Sending
•Idea
mechanisms
interpretation

Feedback
Verbal - nonverbal
 In short, the model described above represents what
happens in communication.

 A context exists in which a sender chooses a

message to communicate.

 The sender must also choose the medium for the

message.

 A receiver decodes the message and provides

feedback.
 6. Thill and Bovee Model
 Thill and Bovee had developed the model of
communication with a point of view that
business communication is much more than
the single act.

 According to them it is a chain of events

consisting of five phases linking sender and
receiver.
.

Message

Idea Physical
Receiver
sender
Transmission

Feedback
 7. Katz - Lasarfeld
 They proposed in modal which was suited to Mass Communication.

 The sender encoded a message and transmitted information through

mass media to an opinion leader who finally relayed it to the public.

 The important competence of this model were :

The sender
The receiver
The message
The opinion leader.

 As it was directed towards mass media the direction of

communication also was one way.
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 8. Westley - Maclean
 They made a radical shift from the model proposed by
Katz and Lazarfeld.
 Their emphasis was not on mass media but on
interpersonal communication.
 In their model they suggested that there should be a
sender who would selectively encode the message to be
transmitted to the receiver.
 On receiving the message the receiver could decode it
and then encode it again as a process of information
transmission to either the original sender or to other
individuals in a modified form.
 He laid stress on the following factors :
The sender
The receiver
The feedback.

 The path observed in the course of communication

was circular with an inbuilt feedback system.
 Sender
Feedbac
Message
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Decodin Receive
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 9. Berlo’s S-M-C-R Model
 In this model, based on his skills and experience, the
sender encodes the message and transmits the same
through one of the five senses.
 The reception of the message depends upon the receiver
and his understanding of the words in their particular
contexts.
 He was the first to emphasise the role of perception in
reception of the message.
 A discrepancy in the understanding of the message as
was intended and the way it was understood could lead
to miscommunication.
 The major components of his model were the source,
the receiver, the meaning and the process.
 However, the direction of his model was only one way.
 David Berlo’s SMCR (Source-Message-Channel-
Receiver) Model proposes that there are five elements
within both the source/encoder and the receiver/decoder
which will affect fidelity.
 Berlo’s approach is rather different from what seems to
be suggested by the more straight forward transmission
models in that he places great emphasis on dynamic
communication, therefore, stressing the role of the
relationship between the source and the receiver as an
important variable in the communication process.
 S M C R
Communication Content Hearing Communication
Skills Skills
Elements Seeing
Knowledge Knowledge
Treatment Touching
Social System Social System
Structure Smelling
Attitude Attitude
Code Tasting
Culture Culture
 10. Newcomb
 Newcomb proposed the theory that communication
works as a result of the reaction of individuals to each
other and topics discussed.
 This was based on his recognition of the importance
of harmony and consistency in any piece of
Communication.
 The important factors in this process were the receiver
and the meaning associated with the utterances made.
 The flow of Communication as suggested by
Newcomb was triangular.
 Sender

Respons Receive
e r
 11. Dance
 According to Dance the encoding and the
decoding of the process of Communication is
contingent upon the previous communication
experiences of the receiver.
 He emphasised the importance of the process
of Communication and the time taken in
encoding and decoding the message.
 His model observed a helical-spiral path.
Helical – spiral Model of Communication
 12. Waltawick – Beavin - Jackobson
 They proposed that the exchange of messages in any
kind of communication was a result of behaviour of
the interactants.
 It was largely dependent on the relationship between
the individuals and varied from one individual to
another.
 They introduced a new element of meta-
communication together with receiver, meaning and
process in explaining the outcome of Communication.
 They were, in all probability, the first to propose that
Communication was a two way process.
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 13. Rogers - Kincaid
 To reach a satisfactory mutual understanding
they suggested that individuals needed to be
linked to one another through networks
created and information shared.
 The major components of their work were
social networks, information and time.
 The direction observed by this type of
Communication was spiral
 14. Leslikar, Petitt and Flatley Model
 R.V. Leslikar, J.D.Pettit and M.E. Flatley have propounded a
psychological model of communication in their book
"Business Communication".
 According to them, the real world, we live in, is full of
symbols and stimuli.
 Of these, we feel only a few with our sense organs, i.e. eyes,
ears, nose, tongue and skin.
 Communication is the result of those symbols and senses
which acts as stimulus. Our sense organs feel them and react
accordingly.
 Leslikar, Petitt and Flatley have divided Communication
process into the following five situations.
 They have discussed their model assuming that there are
two people, Kevin and Merci communicating with each
other :

1. The beginning : A message sent

 A message sent by Merci arrives in Kevin and sensory
world. By sensory world we mean all that surrounds a
person that the senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch)
can detect.

2. Detection by the senses :

 Kevin's senses pick up the message. It may also pick up
other competing information from the sensory world.
 A sensory world contains outside noises.
 The noises might interfere with Merci's message.

3. The Filtering Process :

 Merci's message is filtered through Kevin's mind and is
given a meaning.
 The filtering process means that Merci's message is
separated from other noises.

4. Formation and Sending of response :

 The meaning given to Merci's message may cause a
response from Kevin's mind. This response is a message
communicated to Merci in verbal or non verbal form.
5. The cycle repeated :
 When Kevin sends his message to Merci, one

cycle of communication process ends.

 Now the second cycle begins. This one

involves Merci rather than Kevin and the

same is repeated.
 The process may continue as long as both of

them want to communicate.

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