MODELS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Aristotle’s Model of Communication

 Proposed by Aristotle, an ancient Greek Philosopher, before 300 BC
 He stressed the importance of an audience in the communication process.
 It focuses on public speaking than interpersonal communication
 Consists of five elements:
o Speaker
o Speech
o Occasion
o Audience
o Effect

2. Shannon-Weaver’s Model of Communication

 Proposed by Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver
 Designed to develop effective communication between the Sender and the Receiver
 He asserted that “Noise” is an important factor that affects the communication process
 Composed of five elements:
o Information - source or sender
o Transmitter – encodes the message into signals (e.g. cell phones, computers, and etc.)
o Channel
o Receiver
o Destination – where the message arrives

3. Schramm’s Model of Communication

 Proposed by Wilbur Schramm
 Both sender and the receiver take turns in playing the role of the encoder and decoder in the
communication process
 He asserted that “ Communication can only take place when there is somehow a commonality in
the field of experience of both the source and the destination’s field of experience
 According to him “The message can be complex as its meaning can vary from one individual
to another.”
 A message can also have external and hidden meanings
 Schramm believed that an individual’s knowledge, experience, and cultural background also play
a vital role in communication.
 He also pointed out that communication is incomplete without the feedback from the recipient.
 He believed that communication is actually a two-way process between the source and the
receiver.

4. Berlo’s Model of Communication

 David Berlo pioneered this model of communication
 He emphasized the relationship between the sender and the receiver of the message
 According to this model, for the message to be accurately encoded and decoded, the
communication skills of both sender and receiver must be at their best. It will be successful only
if both individuals possess the necessary skills.
 This model believes that for an effective communication to transpire, both the source and the
receiver should demonstrate the same level in terms of communication skills, attitudes,
knowledge, social system, and culture.
 Four components together with its sub components:
o Source – where the message originates
 Communication Skills – the person’s ability to communicate in reading, writing,
speaking, listening, and etc
 Attitudes – the way one thinks and feels towards one self, the audience, and the
subject
 Social System – the values, beliefs, culture, religion, and general understanding of
the society where the communication happens. This sets the parameters as to how
far we can go or talk about something.
 Culture
o Message – The idea or information sent by the source
 Content – the substance of the message that gives the detailed information of the
topic
 Elements – these include language, gestures, body language, etc. employed in
transmitting the content of a person’s message
 Treatment – the manner of handling or dealing with the message. It is how the
message being conveyed or sent.
  Structure – how words are arranged, organized or put together for the message to
be clear and easy to understand
 Code – the system of signals or symbols for communication. This is also how or
in what form the message is sent. This includes language, body language,
gestures, music, art, dance, etc.

o Channel – refers to the five senses that we use in transmitting the message
o Receiver – the one who receives the message

5. Helical Model of Communication

 Proposed by Frank Dance in 1967
 He designed this model having in mind the helix which is nothing but a smooth curve just like a
spring that goes upward and comes downward.
 The name helical comes from “helix” which means an object having a three-dimensional shape
like that of a wire wound uniformly around a cylinder cone.
 According to Dance’s model, the process of communication evolves from the very birth of an
individual and continues for as long as he lives.
 This non-linear model believes that communication process is just like a helix which moves
forward as well as comes backward and is dependent on the person’s past behaviour with some
changes as he grows.
 Communication is affected by the curve from which it begins that signifies past behaviour and
experiences.
 Communication is supposed to be continuous and non-repetitive. It is always growing,
accumulative, and moving forward.