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1.2MODELSOFCOMMUNICATION

1.2MODELSOFCOMMUNICATION
Inthissection,youwilllearnaboutthreemodelsofcommunication:
a.Linearmodel
b.Interactivemodel
c.Transactionalmodel

1.2.1LinearModel
The linear model views communication as a oneway or linear process in which the speaker speaks and the listener listens.
Laswells(1948)modelwasbasedonthefivequestionsbelow,whicheffectivelydescribehowcommunicationworks:

Shannon and Weavers (1949) model includes noise or interference that distorts understanding between the speaker and the
listener.Figure1.3showsalinearmodelofcommunication:

Figure1.3:Alinearmodelofcommunication
Source:Wood,J.T.(2009).Communicationinourlives(4thed.).Belmont,CA:ThomsonWadsworth
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1.2.2InteractiveModel
Themainflawinthelinearmodelisthatitdepictscommunicationasaonewayprocesswherespeakersonlyspeakandneverlisten.
Italsoimpliesthatlistenerslistenandneverspeakorsendmessages.
Schramm(1955)inWood(2009)cameoutwithamoreinteractivemodelthatsawthereceiverorlistenerprovidingfeedbacktothe
senderorspeaker.Thespeakerorsenderofthemessagealsolistenstothefeedbackgivenbythereceiverorlistener.Boththe
speakerandthelistenertaketurnstospeakandlistentoeachother.Feedbackisgiveneitherverballyornonverbally,orinboth
ways.
Thismodelalsoindicatesthatthespeakerandlistenercommunicatebetteriftheyhavecommonfieldsofexperience,orfieldswhich
overlap(pleaserefertoFigure1.4):

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Figure1.4:Aninteractivemodelofcommunication
Source:Wood,J.T.(2009).Communicationinourlives(4thed.).Belmont,CA:ThomsonWadsworth

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1.2.3TransactionalModel
Themaindrawbackintheinteractivemodelisthatitdoesnotindicatethatcommunicatorscanbothsendandreceivemessages
simultaneously.Thismodelalsofailstoshowthatcommunicationisadynamicprocesswhichchangesovertime.
Thetransactionalmodelshowsthattheelementsincommunicationareinterdependent.Eachpersoninthecommunicationactis
bothaspeakerandalistener,andcanbesimultaneouslysendingandreceivingmessages.
Therearethreeimplicationsinthetransactionalmodel:
i.Transactionalmeansthatcommunicationisanongoingandcontinuouslychangingprocess.Youarechanging,thepeople
withwhomyouarecommunicatingarechanging,andyourenvironmentisalsocontinuallychangingaswell.
ii.Inanytransactionalprocess,eachelementexistsinrelationtoalltheotherelements.Thereisthisinterdependencewhere
therecanbenosourcewithoutareceiverandnomessagewithoutasource.
iii.Each person in the communication process reacts depending on factors such as their background, prior experiences,
attitudes,culturalbeliefsandselfesteem.
Figure1.5showsatransactionalmodelofcommunicationthattakesintoaccountnoiseorinterferenceincommunicationaswellas
thetimefactor.Theouterlines of the model indicate that communication happens within systems that both communicators share
(e.g.,acommoncampus,hometown,andculture)orpersonalsystems(e.g.,family,religion,friends,etc).Italsotakesintoaccount
changesthathappeninthecommunicatorsfieldsofpersonalandcommonexperiences.Themodelalsolabelseachcommunicator
asbothsenderaswellasreceiversimultaneously.

Figure1.5:Atransactionalmodelofcommunication
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Source:Wood,J.T.(2009).Communicationinourlives(4thed.).Belmont,CA:ThomsonWadsworth.

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SELFCHECK1.3
Brieflydescribethemainfeaturesofthefollowingmodelsofcommunication:
1.Linearmodel

2.Interactivemodel

3.Transactionalmodel

ACTIVITY1.3

Usingthemodelsdescribedinthistopic,analysethecommunicationthattakesplaceinyour
family.Whichmodelbestreflectsthecommunicationbetweenfamilymembers?

Jotdownnotesandpresentyouranalysistoyourtutorialgroupmemberswhenyounextmeet.
Youmaywanttoshowpicturesofyourfamilymemberswhenyoumakeyourpresentation.

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