User:Jd34087n/Models of communication

Models of communication are different archetypes developed to explain the process of communication.

These models have been developed by a multitude of communication theorists including British scholar, Denis McQuail (1935-2017). McQuail stated that "a model is a selective representation in verbal or diagrammatic form of some aspect of the dynamic process of mass communication.”

There are 4 types of communications: verbal, non-verbal, written, and visual which the 5 codified models of communication were theorized to explain through the exchange of messages. Through this interaction, a speaker and a receiver either deliver or interpret a message to properly convey a message. The development of these different models grant theorists hypotheses of proper communication as well as the complexity and reason for possible miscommunication.

History

Ancient Greece is considered to be the birthplace of communication studies due to Aristotle being the first to take initiative on the research and designing the first model.

He adopted concepts through anthropology, sociology, and psychology to help develop the early stages of his research, which was later developed into a science and inspire others to further his studies. Many other linear, interactive, and transactional communication models began to develop centuries later in the early 1940's.

Linear Models (Everything below are my additions)

Linear Communication Model visual

Linear communication models suggest that messages are transmitted in one direction via a communication channel. The channel is indicated by the medium in which the message is transmitted (ex: writing, speech, visuals). The sender is the initiation of the message which is later decoded by the receiver. This model is used a lot in marketing, sales, and PR, in communication with customers due to its straightforwardness.

Aristotle

Plato and Aristotle

Aristotle was the founder of the first communication model, which primarily focused on public speaking with the core 5 elements: the speaker, the message, the audience, the occasion, and the effect.

According to this model, the speaker is the largest role in the conveyance of a message and emphasizes importance of a communicator's persuasiveness. With that, factors such as target audience and other nonverbal cues including tone, pitch eye contact, and diction are highly taken into consideration to properly compose their message.

Many of the Aristotelian model's basic communication elements inspired the values of future developing contemporary models.

Laswell's Model

Lasswell's Model of Communication

Harold Lasswell developed this model in 1948 that focuses on answering the following questions: "Who", "Say's what?", "In which channel?", "To whom?", "With what effect?". These are reflective of the 5 main components of other linear communication models including the communicator, message, medium, audience reaction, and effect respectively.

This model is largely used by media channels such as radio, television, and newspapers due to its effect analysis. The study on how well the message is received largely determines future strategy implementation for the future. Although this model is considered to be a prevalent depiction of linear communication, there have been debates whether this is more considered to be a questioning device or construct rather than an archetype to explain communication.

Shannon-Weaver Model

"The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing a message sent from one point, either exactly or approximately, to another point" (Shannon, 1948, pg. 379).

The Shannon-Weaver Model was theorized by American mathematicians, Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver with the release of their article "A Mathematical Theory of Communication" in 1948.

Shannon-Weaver Model

Similarly to Laswell's model, the Shannon-Weaver Model was discusses the transmission of information from the sender to thee receiver but also includes internal and external factors called noise that affects the quality of the message. The noise within the channel interrupts the message and can possibly impair the way the message is decoded before reaching the receiver. Examples of this noise include disinterest, poor noise, accents, the incapability to concentrate, etc. This has provided explanation for miscommunication and misinterpretation.

This was first developed with Shannon's curiosity to improve the quality communication via channels of telephones and was later adopted as a general and popular communication theory. The Shannon-Weaver model is considered to be the "mother of all models" due to its popularity and higher relevance being taught in communication studies courses.

Berlo's S-M-C-R Model

Berlo's SMCR Model is a contemporary model of communication that was largely inspired by improving and adding more values to the Shannon-Weaver Model. American communications theorist, David Berlo created this model in 1960 to furthermore explain the one-way framework of linear communication.

The acronym of SMCR stands for source, message, channel, and receiver, which are the core elements to the model. Berlo's model also takes into large consideration factors including communication skills, attitudes, social system, culture, and knowledge in order to properly code and decode the intended message. The treatment, the way in which the message is sent, and the structure, code, and channel are also great determinants to this model and could largely influence loss or distortion. Having a common ground between the sender and the receiver increases the chances of effective communication.

An example of Berlo's SMCR includes watching the news, where the news presenter is a source to the news, the message, and relays the news through a television channel with careful analysis of structure, code, treatment, and attentiveness to communication skills. This is then interpreted by the wide audience as receivers of the message.