PER 1000(Persuasive Communication) and

GEC 4000(Purposive Communication)

▪ The purpose of a “model” is to offer a
visual representation of a concept with
the intent of facilitating the
understanding of it. Traditionally
speaking, there are three standard
models of the communication process:
Linear, Interactive, and Transactional,
and each offers a slightly different
perspective on the communication
process.
▪ The linear model’s behavior is belied by its name, where a sender encodes a
message via a channel and the message is decoded by the receiver. It is
straight-line communication found typically in mass communication.
▪ Shannon and Weaver were the first to present the Linear Model of
Communication in 1949′s The Mathematical Theory of Communication.
We’re going to discuss more about these two in our imminent Theories of
Communication article. Suffice to say that this theory has become less
relevant in inverse proportion to the advances of communication technology,
specifically non-linear forms of electronic communication where it’s not
always clear who is the sender and who is the receiver.
▪ The interactive model of communication refers to the two-way method of
communication with feedback. However, feedback is not simultaneous, so it
provides slow and indirect feedback. Sometimes, the communication can be
linear if receivers do not reply to senders. The interactive model of
communication indicates mediated and internet-based communication. For
example, Osgood-Schramm Model of Communication and Westley and
Maclean’s Communication Model are interactive communication models.
▪ This model depicts face-to-face interaction, or “trans-action” as a dynamic
and changeable process that is not limited to simple definition. In the
Transactional Model, receiver and sender can play the same roles
simultaneously, as sometimes happens, as messages can be sent back and
forth simultaneously. Simultaneous feedback is the essential component of
the transitional models of communication. So, the communication process is
not transactional if there is no feedback. The feedback is direct and very fast.
The receiver is compelled to provide feedback.
▪ Barnlund, D. C. (2008). A transactional model of communication. In. C. D.
Mortensen (Eds.), Communication theory (2nd Ed), pp. 47–57. New
Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction
▪ Gavi, Z. (2013, August 19). The Models of Communication. The
Communication Process. http://thecommunicationprocess.com/models-of-
communication/
▪ Shannon, C. E., & Weaver, W. (1949). The mathematical theory of
communication. Urbana: University of Illinois Press