MODELS OF

COMMUNICATION

BKK13103 Course Lecturer:

Dr. Isyaku Hassan
 Contents

 Definition of communication model

 Types of communication models
 Key features of linear communication models.
 Examples of linear communication models
 Definition of Communication Model

• A communication model refers to a symbolic representation

of the process that helps in understanding the human
communication process.
• A communication model does not show the details of a
message, rather it presents only those elements which are
related to sending a message.
 Types of Communication Models
The main models of communication can be divided into three
categories:
1) Linear Model: A model that suggests a unidirectional and
sequential flow of information initiated by a sender and ended
at a receiver without accounting for feedback or contextual
factors.
It describes communication as a one-way process in which the
sender acts on the receiver.
2) Interactive Model: This type of model represents a two-way
process of exchanging ideas, messages, and information.
It suggests an active involvement of two or more parties, where
each party takes turns as a sender and a receiver.
It emphasizes the importance of feedback and interaction in the
communication process.
3) Transactional Model: This type of communication model
posits that communication between two or more persons
occurs in a continuous exchange of messages, where both the
sender and the receiver influence what is communicated.
Shared understandings are formed through consistent
communication within specific contexts.
For instance, face-to-face communication allows the use of
body language to convey messages and enables both parties to
obtain immediate feedback.
Linear Models of Communication

 Aristotle’s Model
 Shannon & Weaver’s Model
 Laswell’s Model
 Berlo’s Model
Aristotle’s Model
 Features of Aristotle’s Model

The model was proposed before 300 B.C. According to

Aristotle, communication has five elements.
1) Speaker: The person who speaks.
2) Speech: The speech produced by the person.
3) Audience: The person who listens.
4) Effect: The influence of the speech.
5) Occasion: Event or situation, e.g. at convocation.
 Aristotle’s communication model is speaker-oriented.
 The speaker is considered the most important element in
communication.
 The speaker speaks to influence the audience.
 Then make them act accordingly.
 The speaker is active and the audience is passive.
 The most common model of communication.
 Aristotle was a great Rhetoric teacher who put up an academy
to produce good speakers.
Criticism of Aristotle’s Model

There are a few criticisms of Aristotle’s model, some of

which are:
 There is no concept of communication failures such as noise
or barriers.
 The model relatively involves public speaking per se.
Shannon & Weaver’s Model
 Features of Shannon & Weaver Model
Shannon and Weaver’s mathematical model of communication was
proposed in 1948. The model is consistent with Aristotle’s
proposition. Shannon and Weaver’s model is seen as the first to
highlight the role of ‘noise’ in communication According to the
model, communication involves the following elements.
1) Information source: The sender.
2) Transmitter, which encodes the message into signals.
3) Channel, to which signals are adapted for transmission.
4) Receiver, which decodes (reconstructs) the message from the signal.
5) Destination: The receiver.
6) Noise: Any interference with the message traveling along the
channel.
For telephone communication
• Channel is the line.
• Signal is the electrical current.
• Transmitter and receiver are telephone handsets. The
noise would include distraction in the line.
For face-to-face communication
• Speaker’s mouth is the transmitter.
• Signal is the sound waves.
• Speaker’s ear is the receiver.
• Noise would include any distractions the speaker
might experience while speaking.
Criticism of Shannon & Weaver’s Model

There are a few criticisms of Shannon and Weaver’s model,

some of which are:
• Communication is taken as quantifiable.
• Its origin as a telecommunication model limits its
application to human communication.
Lasswell's Model

CHANNEL DECODING RECEIVER

FEED BACK
Features of Lasswell’s Model
 Initially published by Harold Lasswell in 1948.
 A basic framework for analyzing communication in
terms of five basic questions: "Who?", "Says What?",
"In What Channel?", "To Whom?", and
CHANNEL "With What RECEIVER
DECODING
Effect?".
 The model is seen as the verbal version of Shannon &
Weaver’s model.
 Suggests the flow of FEED BACK
messages with multiple
audiences through various channels.
Criticism of Lasswell’s Model

There are a few criticisms of Lasswell’s model, some

of which are:
Lasswell’s model ignores the possibility of noise.
The model does not consider barriers in the
communication process.
 Berlo’s Model

COMMUNICATIO
MESSAGE CHANNEL DECODER N RECIEVER
Features of Berlo’s Model
Berlo’s model of communication (proposed in 1960) is
also referred to as Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver
(SMCR). It describes factors affecting the individual
elements in communication. The model consists of four
elements as follows.
1) Source: The one who initiates the message.
2) Message: The information conveyed.
3) Channel: The medium through which the signals pass.
4) Receiver: The person who receives the information.
Criticism of Berlo’s Model
 There is no concept of noise or any kind of barrier in
communication.
 It is a linear model of communication; there is no two-way
communication.
 Both parties must be similar according to the factors.
Questions and
Comments