Senior High School | Department of English

Prepared by: Shem Macalanda

TOPIC: Communication Models

Several communication theorists devised models for a better understanding of the process of
communication. One of these models that show the basic flow of communication can be seen on the next
page. The diagram shows that the flow starts with the sender sending a message to the receiver who shares
the feedback with the source. .

Communication models help you understand how the communication process works . Studying these
models and their features will help expand your understanding of an effective communication process.

1. Aristotle's Communication Model

One of the earliest recorded models is attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (351 BC).
He called the study of communication “rhetoric" and spoke of three elements within the process.

Sender or Receiver or
Message
Speaker Listener

From the figure above, Aristotle's understanding of communication as a verbal activity, in which the
speaker (the one who is speaking) tries to convince the listener, thus reaching their own goal, and this via
using a tactical construct of an argument and presentation of the speech.

2. Lasswell's Communication (1948)

Harold Dwight Lasswell (1948), a politics scientist, designed a communication exchanges type mixing
the main elements of communication exchanges. Lasswell's model has become widely discussed. His style of
verbal exchanges consists of several parts-Sender (who), Message (what), to receiver (whom). In addition, he
included solely the actual component-channel.

Who Says what In which channel To whom With what effect

Communicator Message Medium Audience Impact

Same as Aristotle, Lassell focuses on the oral message emphasizing the terms such as speaker,
message and audience, even though he uses different terminology and sees also communication as a
unidirectional process in which the individual influences the others with his or her message. The point in
Lasswell's idea is that there must be an "effect" if communication takes place; otherwise, communication
breakdown happens. If we have communicated, we've "motivated" or produced an effect.
Senior High School | Department of English
Prepared by: Shem Macalanda

What distinguishes Lasswell from Aristotle?

a. He offers a wider definition of the channel by including mass media.

b. He expands the view of the target or effect of the process of communication in general.

3. Schramm’s Model

Wibur Scharmm (1954), the well-known communication theorist, designed an easy devices
communication model in his book "The course of action in addition to Effects involving Mass
Communication." In Schramm's model he notes, as did Aristotle, that communication always requires three
elements - the source, the message and the destination. Ideally, the source encodes a message and transmits
it to its destination via some channel, where the message is received and decoded.

Sender Encode Signal Decode Receiver

Sender’s field of experience Receiver’s field of experience

Schramm highlighted that for understanding to take place between the source and the destination,
they must have something in common. One contribution Schramm made was to consider the fields of
experience of the sender and receiver. The sender encodes the message, based upon the sender's field of
experience. The user's field of experience guides decoding.

The process of encoding and decoding the message is expanded in this model of communication.
Suppose you have something to tell your friend. Obviously, as a sender you initiate the communication. You
process it first in your brain before you transmit through your mouth. Then you select appropriate words for
your transmitter to use. Then you deliver the message to your friend through your voice, symbols, words and
gestures. As you share the message or ideas, you encounter disruptions, barriers or noise that affect the
communication process. Your friend will try to understand the message well and ignore the noise. He/she will
transmit the message to the other people. This is an example of a two-way circular communications from the
sender and receiver of communication.

People sometimes complicate the meaning of the messages or ideas delivered by the sender since
we have different understanding on a specific topic. The person's stored knowledge, educational
background, and experiences, and the external factors such as weather, place, and mood add an impact on
the person's ability to perceive and understand specific issues or phenomenon.

The process of interpreting a message is affected by the NOISE. The physical noise in the
environment such as television, radio, videoke, sirens, mobile phones and many others my affect the
processing of the message.

Feedback is also included in this model. It refers to the reaction, and impression of the receiver after
absorbing the message. Feedbacks may be observed during and after the communication process.
Senior High School | Department of English
Prepared by: Shem Macalanda

4. Shannon’s Model

Shannon in 1948 is the precursor of the different communication models today. Considered the
father of later communication models, it greatly enhanced the communication process in various fields. The
sample illustration of this model shows that communication is initiated by an information source, generally a
person who sends a message with the use of a transmitter, any device such as telephone or computer used
in communication. As the sender encodes the message at one end, the receiver or recipient decodes the
message at the other end. However, noise or any similar thing may serve to interfere in the communication
process. An instrument may serve as the source or the receiver. This model is one of the simplest models
illustrating how communication works.

The applied Mathematician Claude Shannon and Industrial engineer Warren Weaver produced a new
mathematical theory regarding conversation in 1949 although working at Bell Mobile phone Laboratories in
the United States.

About a year after Laswell's presentation of his point of view, Claude Shannon put out the results of his
research in the area of signal transfer. Shannon and Weaver tried to do two things:

a. Reduce the communication process to a set of mathematical formulas.

b. Discuss problems that could be handled with the model.

The model introduces three elements not found in Aristotle's model: a transmitter, a receiver, and
sources of noise. The "noise" concept introduced by Shannon and Weaver can be used to illustrate "semantic
noise" that interferes with communication. This noise can be troublesome if not properly cleared out.
Semantic noise is the problem connected with differences in meaning that people assign to words, to voice
inflections in speech, to gestures and expressions and to other similar "noise" in writing.

Semantic noise is a more serious problem or barrier to developing effective communications than
most realize. It is hard to detect that semantic noise has interfered with communication. Too often the
person sending a message chooses to use words and phrases that have a certain meaning to him or her.
However, they may have an altogether different meaning to individuals receiving the message. In the interest
of good communication, we need to work to hold semantic noise to the lowest level possible.

Their concept tried to highlight an awareness that there is a semantic noise in face-to-face verbal
communication just as there is static noise, for example, in radio communication.
Senior High School | Department of English
Prepared by: Shem Macalanda

5. David Berlo’s Model

Another communication model was introduced by Berlo, who emphasized the relationship between
the sender and the receiver, usually persons. For communication to be effective, the message must be
properly encoded and decoded. Proper encoding or decoding is possible only if the sender or receiver
respectively possesses the qualities required of the best communicators (communication skills, attitudes,
knowledge, social system, and culture). Berlo's Model also considers two other components of
communication—the message and the channel and their sub-components as shown in the diagram below.

David Berlo's S-M-C-R (Source-Message-Channel-Receiver) Model is the simplest and most

popular message-centered model of communication. In this communication process, he introduces a new
concept by stressing the role of relationship between the encoder and the decoder.

He emphasizes the significant role of the encoder and the decoder and how it affects the fidelity of
communication. The S-M-C-R Model recognizes that the receiver is as important to communication as the
sender and the message. Here are the five phases of communication process:

Phase I - IDEATING
The communication process always starts from the message or idea you want to convey. The context that
germinates in the mind of the sender will be shared whether in oral or in written form. The sender or the
encoder will identify his audience and formulate the message he wants to convey and to interpret. He may
inform, the receiver about a particular topic or idea or persuade him to accept his position on an issue.

Phase II - ENCODING
This takes places when the sender encodes or formulates an idea or message in the form of symbols to be
transmitted to the receiver. The symbols can take on numerous forms such as languages, words, or gestures.
These symbols are used to encode ideas into messages that others can fully understand.

The sender has to begin first through identifying what he/she wants to transmit.
Senior High School | Department of English
Prepared by: Shem Macalanda

Sender should try to improve encoding messages well to mentally visualize the communication from the
receivers' point of view. The message should be transmitted effectively by the sender to achieve the desired
feedback or outcome.

Phase III - TRANSMITTING

The sender here uses some kind of channel or medium to convey a message. The channel is the system used
to share a message or idea. It can be done through face-to-face conversation, telephone or cell phone
conversation. It can also be done though written activities such as letters, memos, reports, manuals, notices
or circular. It can also be done through the use of latest trends and gadgets such as computers, tablets, or I
pads, or through audio-visual technology such as cinema, television, radio, video-conferences, video-chat,
and many more.

For immediate feedback, it is necessary to use oral communication channel to avoid misunderstanding and
uncertainties. Written communication should be used when a message must be delivered to a small group of
people, or to a person with authority since it is more effective and more formal.

Phase IV - RECEIVING
In this phase, decoding is conducted by the receiver. A receiver may be an individual or a group of
individuals. He or she may be a listener or a reader or a viewer of the message. Once the message is received
or examined the receiver is expected to understand, interpret, and perceive the total meaning of the
message, and to give necessary feedback.

Phase V- Feedback is the final phase in the chain of the communication process.
After receiving a message, the receiver responds to the message given by the sender of the message.
Feedback can be positive or negative, or it can be verbal or non- verbal.

Feedback plays an important role in communication process since it allows the sender to clearly evaluate the
effectiveness of the message. This gives an opportunity for the sender to take necessary action to clarify
misunderstood message. In a letter of complaint, the sender is expected to receive an immediate feedback or
action from the receiver.

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