Models of Communication

Linear models – only looks at one-way communication.


 Interactive models – looks at two-way communication.
 Transactional models – looks at two-way communication where the message gets more
complex as the communication event (e.g. conversation) progresses.
This article will outline all 8 major models of communication currently studied in communications
courses at college. Here’s a quick summary to get started:

Model of Type of
# Communication Model Brief Description
Aristotle argues that we should look at five elements of
a communication event to analyze how best to
1 communicate: speaker, speech, occasion, target
. Aristotle’s Model Linear audience and effect.
Lasswell’s model is a basic framework for analyzing
one-way communication by asking five questions: Who,
2 said what, through which channel, to whom, with what
. Lasswell’s Model Linear effects?
The Shannon-Weaver model is the first to highlight the
3 Shannon-Weaver role of ‘noise’ in communication, which can disrupt or
. Model Linear alter a message between sender and receiver.
4 Berlo’s S-M-C-R Linear Berlo’s S-M-C-R model explains communication in four
 Model of Type of
# Communication Model Brief Description
. Model steps: Source, Message, Channel, and Receiver.
The Osgood-Schramm model looks at reciprocal
communication, showing how we have to encode,
5 Osgood-Schramm decode, and interpret information in real-time during a
. Model Interactive conversation.
The Westley and Maclean model shows that our
6 Westley and communication is influenced by environmental, cultural
. Maclean Model Interactive and personal factors.
Barnlund’s Barnlund’s Transactional Model of Communication
7 Transactional highlights the role of private and public cues that impact
. Model Transactional our messages.
Dance’s Helical Model sees communication as a
circular process that gets more and more complex as
8 Dance’s Helical communication occurs, which can be represented by a
. Model Transactional helical spiral.