What Reasons Do We
Have to Communicate?
Models of communication are conceptual models used to explain the human
communication process. The first major model for communication came in 1949 and
was conceived by Claude Elwood Shannon and Warren Weaver for Bell
Laboratories. Following the basic concept, communication is the process of
sending and receiving messages or transferring information from one part
(sender) to another (receiver).
The Communication
Process can be broken down into several commonly accepted steps that are
comprised of the following components:
The Sender –
This is the individual or group who is initiating the message. This
message can be verbal or non-verbal, can be ongoing or a one-off, can be
conscious or unconscious. The Sender can also be referred to as the
Communicator.
The Receiver –
There must be a message sent if there is one to be received. The Receiver
– sometimes known as the Interpreter – is the individual or group to whom the
message is sent. Sometimes, a message received was one that was not
necessarily intended to be.
The Message –
This is the particular content that is sent and received.
The Channel –
(or Medium) is the means by which
the message is sent. Some common channels are: spoken voice/telephone/radio/television,
written word, computer,
The Context –
This is the setting or environment in which the message is conveyed
Feedback –
This is the response by the Receiver as to the success of the communication
The
Models of Communication
The purpose of a “model”
is to offer a visual representation of a concept with the intent of
facilitating the understanding of it. Traditionally speaking, there are three
standard models of the communication process:
·
Linear
·
Interactive
·
Transactional
Each offers a slightly
different perspective on the communication process.
Models
of the Communication Process
The Linear Communication Model
Shannon and Weaver were
the first to present the Linear Model of Communication in 1949′s The
Mathematical Theory of Communication.
We’re going to discuss more about these two in our imminent Theories of
Communication article. Suffice to say that this theory has become less relevant
in inverse proportion to the advances of communication technology, specifically
non-linear forms of electronic communication where it’s not always clear who is
the sender and who is the receiver.
There’s a bit of a
debate about the Linear Communication model and how it recognizes (or doesn’t
recognize) the concept of feedback. The
linear model’s behavior is belied by its name, where a sender encodes a message
via a channel and the message is decoded by the receiver. It is straight-line communication found
typically in mass communication; think television, radio, newspapers, etc. According
to this model, there is no means for immediate feedback.
Interactive Communication Model
Simply put, the
Interactive Model takes the Linear Model and multiplies it times two with a
quick flip of the return message. It now allows for a feedback element because
after a message is encoded and sent to the decoding receiver, the roles then
reverse and the receiver encodes and sends a response to the original sender
who has now turned receiver. It sounds
more confusing than it is. Envision an
exchange of text messages whereby your friend sends you a message and you
respond to it. The same thing happens
during a telephone call, or even an email exchange. A message is sent and received, then the
roles reverse. That is the Interactive
Model. models of communication
Transactional Communication Model
The Transactional Model
becomes more sophisticated yet. This model depicts face-to-face interaction, or
“trans-action” as a dynamic and changeable process that is not limited to
simple definition. In the Transactional
Model, receiver and sender can play the same roles simultaneously, as sometimes
happens, as messages can be sent back and forth simultaneously. It appears chaotic and ineffective, but
sometimes communication is just that.
Throw in some noise, and it would be a wonder whether any message is
conveyed successfully in this environment.
Berlo's SMCR Model of
Communication
In 1960, David Berlo
postulated Berlo's Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver (SMCR) Model of
Communication from Shannon Weaver's Model of Communication (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
receives the message respectively.
Components of Berlo's
Model of Communication
Berlo's Model has
mainly, four components to describe the communication process. They are sender, message, channel and receiver.
Each of the component is affected by many factors.
S -Sender
Sender is the source of the message or the person who originates
the message. The person or source sends the message to the receiver. The
following are the factor related to sender and is also the same in the case of
receiver:
·
Communication Skills:
Communication skills of a person is a
factor that affects the communication process. If the sender has good
communication skills, the message will be communicated better than if the
sender's communication skills are not good. Similarly, if the receiver can not
grasp the message, then the communication will not be effective. Communication
skills include the skills to speak, present, read, write, listening, etc.
·
Attitude:
The attitude of the sender and the
receiver creates the effect of the message. The person's attitude towards self,
the receiver and the environment changes the meaning and effect of the message.
·
Knowledge:
Familiarity with the subject of the
message makes the communicated message have its effect more. Knowledge on the
subject matter makes the communicator send the message effectively.
·
Social Systems:
Values, beliefs, laws, rules,
religion and many other social factors affect the sender's way of communicating
the message. It creates difference in the generation of message. Place and
situation also fall under social systems.
·
Culture:
Cultural differences make messages
different. A person from one culture might find something offensive which is
very much accepted in another culture.
M-Message
A message is the substance that is being sent by the sender to
the receiver. It might be in the form of voice, audio, text, video or other
media. The key factors affecting the message are
·
Content:
Content is the thing that is in the
message. The whole message from beginning to end is the content.
·
Elements:
Elements are the non verbal things
that tag along with the content like gestures, signs, language, etc.
·
Treatment:
Treatment is the way in which the
message is conveyed to the receiver. Treatment also effects the feedback of the
receiver.
·
Structure:
The structure of the message or the
way it has been structured or arranged, affects the effectiveness of the
message.
·
Code:
Code is the form in which the message
is sent. It might be in the form of language, text, video, etc.
C-Channel
Channel is the medium used to send the message. In mass
communication and other forms of communication, technical machines might be
used as a channel like telephone, internet, etc. But in general communication,
the five senses of a human being is the channel for the communication flow and
it affects the effectiveness of the channel.
·
Hearing- We receive
the message through hearing.
·
Seeing- We perceive
through seeing. We also get non-verbal messages by seeing.
·
Touching- Many of
the non-verbal communication happens from touching like holding hands.
·
Smelling- We collect
information from smelling.
·
Tasting- Taste also
provides the information to be sent as a message.
R- Receiver
Receiver is the person who gets the message sent in the process.
This model believes that the thinking pattern and all other factors mentioned
above must be in sync to that of the sender for the communication to be
effective. The message might not have the same effect as intended if the
receiver and sender are not similar. The receiver must also have a very good
listening skill. Other factors are similar to that of the sender.
·
Communication
skills
·
Attitudes
·
Knowledge
·
Social Systems
·
Culture
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 process.
·
It is a linear
model of communication, there is no two way communication.
·
Both of the people
must be similar according to all the factors mentioned above.
Bibliography