Modes of Communication in the process of Human Communication

Over the years, scholars in communication have developed a number of models that reflect increasingly sophisticated understanding of the communication process.

1.     Linear Models

Hareld Laswell (1948) advanced an early model that described communication as a linear or one way process in which one person acts an another person. This is also called a transmission model because it assumes that communication is transmitted in a straightforward manner from a sender to receiver. The message signal is encoded and transmitted through channel in presence of noise. The sender is more prominent in linear model of communication. Clouds Shannon and Warren Weaver refined Laswell’s model by adding noise. Noise is anything that interferes with the intend meaning of communication. Noises may distort understanding.

Features of Linear Communication:

a.      It is one way communication.

b.     It is used for mass communication.

c.      The senders send message and receivers receive only message.

d.     It has no feedback.

e.      It has noise.

Components of Linear Communication

Linear model has defined set of components required for a communication to be established where

§  Sender is the person who sends a message after encoding.

§  Encoding is the process of converting the message into codes compatible with the channel and understandable for the receiver.

§  Decoding is the process of changing the encoded message into understandable language by the receiver.

§  Message is the information sent by the sender to the receiver.

§  Channel is the medium through which the message is sent.

§  Receiver is the person who gets the message after decoding.

§  Noise is the disruptions that are caused in the communication process in channel or in understandability of the message.

Types of Linear Communication:

a.      Aristotle Model

It  is a linear communication model which was made for public speaking. In Aristotle’s model, the speaker sent message and the audience receive it. The model was made to establish a propaganda.

b.     Shannon Weaver Model

It is a mathematical model used for technical communication or machine communication like telegraph and telephone. In Shannon Weaver’s model, if the channel does not have distorting elements or noise producing elements, the communication is successful.

c.      Berlor’s SMC Model

It was made to understand general human communication. In Berlo’s Model, communication depends on many factors: like communication skills, attitude, knowledge, socio-cultural systems, the way in which the message has been sent, the content of the message, senses of the receiver, etc.

Criticism of Linear Model:

§  The model assumes that communication has a particular beginning and an end, so it is not continuous.

§  There is no concept of feedback which makes it inapplicable to direct human communication and only applicable to mass communication like newspaper, television, etc. There is no way to know if the communication was effective or not.

§  Human communication is mostly circular rather than linear as audience is also an active participant.

§  Communication may not happen in turns and more than one message can be sent at the same time.

§  The sender must have the ability to encode and the receiver must have the ability to decode.

§  The model has become less relevant to electronic communication and internet where it’s not clear who is the sender and who is the receiver.

 

 

2.     Interactive Model of Communication

In the linear model, a sender sends message and receive message passively, communication is flowing in only one direction but this is not how communication occurs.

Wilbur Schramm (1955) adopted The Interactive Model of Communication. He described that listener also responds to the sender message which may be verbal or non-verbal and may be intentional or unintentional. Interactive model (also known as convergence model) deals with exchange of ideas and messages taking place both ways from sender to receiver and vice-versa. Communicators create and interpret messages within personal fields of experience. The more communicators fields of experience overlap, the better they understand each other.

Adding fields of experience to model clarifies why understanding sometimes occur. Adding fields of experiences and feedback allowed Schramm and other communications scholars to develop models that portray communication as interactive process in which both sender and receivers participate actively.

Components of Interactive Model

Interactive Model of Communication requires different following components for the communication process to work:

§  Encoder-Source-Decoder: The person who originates a message is the source. The encoder and decoder are the same person/source. The second source is also encoder as well as decoder. The source acts as an encoder while sending the message and as decoder while receiving the message.
The second source decodes the message, then originates another message, encodes it and sends it to the first source. The source is known to be encoder and decoder during the act of encoding and decoding.

§  Message: Message is the information sent during the interaction.

§  Feedback: The decoder forms a second message after receiving the first which is known as feedback.

§  Field of Experience: Field of experience is the experience and knowledge that the source possess which affects the message formation and interpretation. For example, the source’s culture, social behavior, etc.

Interactive Model Examples

Internet can be taken as the best way of interactive communication as receiver can give feedback even in newspapers and books. Internet has increased the opportunity of interactive communication and it is still evolving.

Human-computer interaction is also now considered as interactive communication as the model is circular where the senders interchange every time. Social media, interactive marketing and user generated contents, ATM machines, online shopping, chat rooms, etc are other examples of interactive communication model.

Criticisms of Interactive Communication

§  Feedback is not simultaneous and can take a long time as this model is mostly used for internet.

§  Communication is not taken as dynamic. It predicts communication to follow the same pattern always.

 

 

 

3.     Transactional Model of Communication

Although we found some improvements in interactive model over linear model but still didn’t capture the quality of human communication. In interactive model work as one person as a sender and another person as a receiver. In reality communicators both send and receive messages.

Communication occurs within systems that affect what and how people communicate and what meanings they create. Those systems include the shared systems of each communicator. In this model, both sender and receiver are communicators who participate equally and often simultaneously in the communication process. To understand communication as a transactional process is to recognize that self and others are involved in a shared process: Communication is we-oriented rather than me-oriented.

The most accurate model of communication represents it as a transactional process in which people interact with and through symbols over time to create meaning.

For example, the same message might not be perceived by a person the same way when it is send through a phone and when it is provided face to face. It is because of possible loss of message on a phone call or absence of gestures.

Factors Affecting Transactional Model

There are many factors directly or indirectly affecting the communication process in transaction model. These can be environmental noise or communication barriers. Environmental Noises can be Physical noise, physiological noise or psychological noise.

a.      Social Context

Social context in communication refers to the norms, values, laws and other restrictions of a society to communicate within a specific limit. It also includes rules that bind people’s ability to communicate. Society shapes the way a person communicates. Some of the examples are: greeting people when meeting, thanking, apologizing, etc.

People can also learn communication from trial and error method, and its consequences ranges from social exclusion to embarrassment. This model also adds that it’s not just social reality that help people in the communication process but communication also shapes self and social reality in return. Communication is not only for exchanging messages but also to create and establish relationship helping people in the formation of a community.

b.Cultural Context

Cultural context is the lifestyle and identity of a person. Caste, class, race, ethnicity, gender, etc are the contexts which promotes communication. If two people are from the same cultural group, they will have better communication with each other.

Cultural identities are made by communication. It changes the communication pattern of a person. Marginalization of cultural groups oppress their communication with the other parts of the society. People become unsure of themselves when they communicate with intercultural groups. Some people also take it as unacceptable.

People have a closed mindset about the other groups of people they communicate with displaying the trait of Ethnocentrism. Experiences, attitudes, moods, cultural beliefs, social up-bringing, mindset, their sense of reality and many other factors affect the responses and the message exchange.

c.Relational Context

Relational context of communication relates to relationship history and manners.

A person talks with an old friend differently than a stranger. Manners take the role of communication when it is with strangers. Manners come from pre-established norms and values, and are more scripted making interaction difficult. Type of relationship and the roles of people create differences in the way people communicate. Communication always occurs on the common systems of both the parties.

 

Criticisms of Transactional Model

§  Without verbal response, the sender can not be sure that the receiver got the message as intended. Feedback is an important component in the communication process, especially in interpersonal communication as it gives a space to clarify misunderstandings.

§  The transactional model gives the opportunity for a lot of noise because the communication is simultaneous. For example, when many people are talking at the same time in a meeting, the objective of the meeting will not be fulfilled.