Topic: COMMUNICATION MODEL

Introduction
A model is widely used to depict any idea, thought or a concept in a simpler way through
diagrams, pictorial representations etc. Models go a long way in making the understanding of
any concept easy and clear. Through a model one can easily understand a process and draw
conclusions from it. In simpler words a model makes the learning simple.
Discussion
Communication Models
5 Models of Communication
● Aristotle Model of Communication.
● Berlo's Model of Communication.
● Shannon and Weaver Model of Communication
● Schramm's Model of Communication.
● Helical Model of Communication.
Aristotle Model of Communication
Aristotle was the first to take an initiative and design the communication model.

Let us first go through a simple situation.

In a political meeting, the prospective leader delivers speech to the audience urging for
more votes from the constituency. He tries to convince the crowd in the best possible way he can
so that he emerges as a winner. What is he actually doing?
He is delivering his speech in a manner that the listeners would get convinced and cast
their votes only in his favour, or in other words respond in the same manner the speaker wanted
to. Here the leader or the speaker or the sender is the centre of attraction and the crowd simply
the passive listeners.
The example actually explains the Aristotle model of communication.
According to this model, the speaker plays a key role in communication. He is the one
who takes complete charge of the communication. The sender first prepares a content which he
does by carefully putting his thoughts in words with an objective of influencing the listeners or
the recipients, who would then respond in the sender’s desired way. No points in guessing that
the content has to be very impressive in this model for the audience or the receivers to get
convinced. The model says that the speaker communicates in such a way that the listeners get
influenced and respond accordingly.

The speaker must be very careful about his selection of words and content in this model
of communication. He should understand his target audience and then prepare his speech.
Making eye contact with the second party is again a must to create an impact among the
listeners. Let us again go through the first example. The politician must understand the needs of
the people in his constituency like the need of a shopping mall, better transport system, safety of
girls etc. and then design his speech. His speech should address all the above issues and focus on
providing the solutions to their problems to expect maximum votes from them. His tone and
pitch should also be loud and clear enough for the people to hear and understand the speech
properly. Stammering, getting nervous in between of a conversation must be avoided. Voice
modulations also play a very important role in creating the desired effect. Blank expressions,
confused looks and similar pitch all through the speech make it monotonous and nullify its
effect. The speaker should know where to lay more stress on, highlight which words to influence
the listeners.
One will definitely purchase the mobile handset from that store where the sales man gives
an impressive demo of the mobile. It depends on the sales man what to speak and how to speak
in a manner to influence the listeners so that they respond to him in a way he actually wants i.e.
purchase the handset and increase his billing.
The Aristotle model of communication is the widely accepted and the most common
model of communication where the sender sends the information or a message to the receivers to
influence them and make them respond and act accordingly. Aristotle model of communication is
the golden rule to excel in public speaking, seminars, lectures where the sender makes his point
clear by designing an impressive content, passing on the message to the second part and they
simply respond accordingly. Here the sender is the active member and the receiver is passive
one.

Berlo's Model of Communication.

Berlo’s model follows the SMCR model. This model is not specific to any particular
communication. The model includes a number of factors under each of the elements:
Source: The source is situated where the message originates.
Communication skills – It is the skill of the individual to communicate. For example, the ability
to read, write, speak, listen etc.

Attitudes – This includes attitudes towards the audience, subject and towards oneself. For
example, for the student, the attitude is to learn more and for teachers, it is to help teach.

Knowledge– Communicating also means that the person needs to be knowledgeable about the
subject or topic. For e.g. a teacher needs to know about the subject in detail that he or she teaches
so that they can communicate properly such that the students understand here.

Note: It refers, not to the general knowledge, but to the knowledge of the subject that the person
is communicating and their familiarity with it.
Social system – The social system includes the various aspects of society like values, beliefs,
culture, religion and a general understanding of society. It is where the communication takes
place.
For example, classrooms differ from country to country just like people’s behaviors and how
they communicate, etc.
Note: We can communicate only to the extent that the social system allows. When we
communicate, we take the social system into account.
Culture: Culture of a particular society also comes under the social system.

According to this model, people can communicate only if the above requirements are met
in the proper or adequate proportion.
Encoder: The sender of the message, from where the message originates, is referred to as the
encoder. So the source encodes the message here.
Message Content – The body of a message, from the beginning to the end, comprises its
content. For example, whatever the class teacher teaches in the class, from beginning to end, is
the content of the message.
Elements – It includes various things like language, gestures, body language, etc. They
constitute all the elements of a particular message. Any content is accompanied by some
elements.

Treatment – It refers to the packing of the message and the way in which the message is
conveyed or the way in which it is passed on or delivered.
Note: When there is too much treatment, communication will not go smoothly.
Structure– The structure of the message refers to how it is arranged; the way people structure
the message into various parts.
Note: Message is the same, but if the structure is not properly arranged then the receiver will not
understand the message.
Code– The code of the message refers to the means through which it is sent and in what form. It
could be, for example, language, body language, gestures, music, etc. Even culture is a code.
Through this, people give and receive messages and communication takes place.
Note: Only when the code is clear, the message will be clear. The wrong usage may lead to
misinterpretation.
Channel– It refers to the five sense organs. The following are the five senses:
Hearing
 Seeing
Touching
Smelling
Tasting

Communication occurs through one or more of these channels.

Hearing: The use of ears to receive the message. For example, orally transmitted messages,
interpersonal communication etc.
Seeing: Visual channels, for example, Watching television so the message is conveyed through
the scene/film.
Touching: The sense of touch can be used as a channel to communicate. For example, we touch,
buy food, hugging our loved ones,etc.
Smelling: Smell also can be a channel to communicate. For example, perfumes, food, fragrances
etc. Charred smell communicates something is burning. People can deduct which food is being
cooked by its smell etc.

Tasting : The tongue is a muscular organ used in the act of eat and taste food. For example, while
a food is being shared, the communication can happen regarding its taste.
Note: Despite not mentioning a medium, we need to assume that as communication is taking
place, channels can be any of the 5 senses or combination.
Decoder : The person who receives the message and decodes it is referred to a decoder.
Receiver: The receiver needs to think all the contents and elements of the source, so as to
communicate/responds to sender effectively.
Berlo’s model believes that for effective communication to take place, the source and the
receiver need to be on the same level. Only then communication will happen or take place
properly. Hence, the source and the receiver should be similar.
For example, if the communication skill of the source is good, then the receiver should have
equally good listening skills.
It cannot be said that the receiver does not receive the whole message because even
though he may receive it, but may not be able to interpret its meaning. For effective
communication, the source and the receiver need to be on the same level.
Note: Self-image differs from person to person. For communication, the person should consider
the receiver, speak accordingly and give them what they need.
Criticism of Berlo’s SMCR model of communication:
There is a lack of feedback. The effects are practically unknown.
It does not mention the barriers to communication.
There is no room for noise.
It is a rather complex model.
It is a linear model of communication.
It requires people to be on the same level for effective communication to happen. However,
that rarely happens in everyday life.
The main drawback of the model is that it omits the usage of sixth sense as a channel of
communication, which is an asset to human beings (thinking, understanding, analyzing etc.)
Shannon and Weaver Model of Communication
Shannon and Weaver model is the most popular model of communication and is widely accepted
all over the world.
Let us first go through the following example to understand the model better.
‘Peter is working as Vice president - Marketing with a reputed multinational firm. He is currently
heading Mike who in turn is taking care of a small team. Peter wanted Mike to prepare an
exhaustive report on marketing strategies which can be employed to achieve the goals of the
organization. He also wanted a detailed study on the competitor’s activity by end of the day.
While he was speaking, the company peon interrupted to take the lunch order. Finally when
Mike got the complete information, he in turn delegated the responsibility to his team members.
He tried his level best to convey what Peter actually expected his team to prepare. At the end of
the day, the team did prepare the report and submitted to Peter but there were few errors which
they rectified later on.’
Let us now understand the example in a more detailed away.
Who is Peter ?
Peter is actually the person who thought of preparing the detailed report for better output of the
organization. He is actually the one from whom the thought came. It was Peter’s brain who came
up with this idea of preparing marketing strategies for the organization. Thus, Peter is actually
the source of information.
Had Peter kept the idea in his mind only without sharing it with his team the organization would
have never been benefited out of it. It is very important for the individual to share his ideas as
well as information with others to make the best possible use of the information. Do you think,
Mike and his team would have come to know about Peter’s idea if he had stored it in his brain
only? Obviously NO. Peter had to convert his thoughts into words and bring out the information
through his mouth. Here mouth is actually working as a transmitter which helps in transmitting
the information, message from the brain to the mouth after carefully putting the thought into
words. Peter spoke about some reports which he wanted from his team, the words or Peter’s
voice is actually the signal being sent to Mike about what he is expected to do. Without signal or
without content how will Mike know what he is supposed to do? Go through the example once
again. The conversation was interrupted by the peon who came for the lunch order. In the same
way signals get interrupted by various noises and distractions while traveling from the sender
and finally reaching to the recipient. Horns at crowded streets, hustle bustle of the market place,
babies wailing, people screaming are all various types of noises which get coupled with the
signal or in other words the information. Finally Mike could gather all the information from
Peter after ignoring what the peon spoke and downloaded it to his team who were supposed to
prepare the report.

Shannon and weaver model simply proposes that a message actually originates from the person
who gets the thought or has the information. The sender is also called the Source of information
or the Information Source. The information then gets transmitted from the brain to the mouth and
comes out as a signal which then reaches the recipient after joining hands with several noises and
other disturbances. The recipient then further passes on the message to its final destination or
other minds of other individuals.
Concepts in Shannon Weaver Model

Sender (Information source) – Sender is the person who makes the message, chooses the channel
and sends the message.
Encoder (Transmitter) –Encoder is the sender who uses machine, which converts message into
signals or binary data. It might also directly refer to the machine.
Channel –Channel is the medium used to send message.
Decoder (Receiver) – Decoder is the machine used to convert signals or binary data into message
or the receiver who translates the message from signals.

Explanation of Shannon Weaver Model

The sender encodes the message and sends it to the receiver through a technological
channel like telephone and telegraph. The sender converts the message into codes understandable
to the machine. The message is sent in codes through a medium.
The receiver has to decode the message before understanding it and interpreting it. The
receptor machine can also act as a decoder in some cases. The channel can have noise and the
receiver might not have the capacity to decode which might cause problems in communication
process.
Here, for instance, brain might be the sender, mouth might be the encoder which encodes
to a particular language, air might be the channel, another person’s ear might be the receptor and
his brain might be the decoder and receiver.
Similarly, air is the channel here, the noise present in his environment that disturbs them
is the noise whereas his response is the feedback. There were only 5 components when the model
was made. Noise was added later.
 As Shannon was an engineer, this model was first made to improve technical
communication, mainly for telephonic communication. It was made to to maximize telephone
capacity with minimum noise.
Later, Weaver applied it for all kind of communications to develop effective
communication and the model became famous as Shannon Weaver model. In engineering,
Shannon’s model is also called information theory and is used academically to calculate
transmission through machines and also has a formula.
Levels of Communication Problems
There are three levels of problems of communication according to Shannon Weaver. They are:
Technical problem –How a channel causes a problem
Semantic problem –Is the meaning of message sent and received very different
Effectiveness problem –How effectively does the message cause reaction

Example of Shannon Weaver Model

A businessman sends a message via phone text to his worker about a meeting happening about
their brand promotion. The worker does not receive the full message because of noise. It goes
like this:
Businessman: We have a meeting at the office (“at 8 am” goes missing due to phone network
disruption or noise)
Worker (feedback) : At what time?
Here,
Sender: Businessman
Encoder: Telephone network company
Channel: Mobile network
Noise: Missing text due to disruption
Decoder: Mobile phone
Receiver: Worker

The transmission error is the noise in this case. The feedback lets the businessman know
that the message reached incomplete. The receiver gets the chance to get the full message only
after his feedback.
Cite this article as: businesstopia, "Shannon and Weaver Model Of Communication," in
Businesstopia, January 6, 2018,
https://www.businesstopia.net/communication/shannon-and-weaver-model-communication

Advantages of Shannon Weaver Model

Concept of noise helps in making the communication effective by removing the noise or
problem causing noise.
This model takes communication as a two way process. It makes the model applicable in
general communication.
Communication is taken as quantifiable in Shannon Weaver model.
Criticisms of Shannon Weaver Model
It can be applied more for interpersonal communication than group communication and mass
communication.
Receiver plays the passive part in the communication process as sender plays the primary role
that sends messages.
Feedback is taken as less important in comparison to the messages sent by the sender.
The model is taken by some critics as a “misleading misrepresentation of the nature of human
communication” as human communication is not mathematical in nature.

Schramm's Model of Communication

The Schramm model views communication as a process that takes place between a
sender (transmitter) and a receiver: there will be also a message, and a medium through which
the message can be transmitted
Schramm’s model of communication which has its roots from the Shannon weaver model
itself.

Wilber Schramm proposed the model of communication in 1954.

Information is of no use unless and until it is carefully put into words and conveyed to
others. Encoding plays a very important role because it initiates the process of communication by
converting the thought into content. When the information reaches the recipient his prime
responsibility is to understand what the speaker intends to convey. Unless and until the second
party is able to understand or decode the information what the sender wants to communicate, the
message is actually of no use.
 Thus, encoding and decoding are two most important factors of an effective
communication without which information can never flow between two individuals. Schramm’s
model also revolves around the above principle. According to the Schramm’s model, coding and
decoding are the two essential processes of an effective communication.
He also emphasizes that the communication is incomplete unless and until the sender
receives a feedback from the recipient. Imagine a person sharing his thoughts with his friend and
his friend not responding to him. Is the communication complete? NO.Schramm believed that
communication is actually a two way process between the first party and the second party.
Let us understand more with the help of an example
Jennifer to Sam -“Will you accompany me for a movie?”

Sam kept mum and did not respond and hence the communication between Sam and
Jennifer was not complete. If Sam was not interested for the movie, he could have responded or
given the feedback to Jennifer about his unwillingness. According to Schramm’s model,
whenever the information reaches the recipient, it becomes his responsibility to give the
feedback and let him know if he has downloaded the message in exactly the same manner the
speaker wanted. If he is not clear with anything or has any doubts, it must be cleared with the
speaker. Thus when the speaker conveys any message to the listener, the listener, decodes the
message and once again passes the message to the speaker after understanding it and completing
the full circle.
Sender
M↓ ↑M
Receiver
M - Stands for message
 Schramm believed that an individual’s knowledge, experience and cultural background
also play an important role in communication. Individuals from diverse cultures, religion or
background tend to interpret the message in different ways.
Billy to Servant - “Please bring something hot for me to drink as I am suffering from sore
throat.”
The servant brought him a glass of lukewarm water but Billy actually wanted a cup of hot
chocolate coffee. Hence different interpretation by the servant. He was not on the common
grounds with Billy and failed to understand his master’s information. It was neither Billy’s the
servant’s fault but actually the differences in both their backgrounds which was to blame.

Go through another example

John to Teddy -“I get late for my office, please buy me a clock”
Teddy went to a local market and gifted a clock to John and John was never late to office
after that. He could have also misinterpreted the message, then how come he could understand
his friend’s desire? A Clock is always a clock whether Teddy has to bring it or any other
individual has to bring it. A clock can never be confused with a wrist watch or for that matter
something else. There are some messages which are more or less same for everyone. They are
called as messages with a Denotative meaning which are almost the same for all individuals and
in such cases chances of misinterpretation and misunderstanding gets nullified.
Please once again refer to the above situation of John and Teddy and slightly modify the
situation. When John wanted a clock, Teddy brought two clocks for him as he was two
concerned for John and didn’t want him to get late. In this case John actually wanted a single
clock but Teddy brought his emotional quotient and personal affection in between. Such
meanings are called Connotative meaning which are affected by emotional factors. A message
can also get distorted due to wrong body movements, gestures, facial expressions and many other
factors.
To conclude according to this model of communication when a sender passes on the
information to the receiver, the receiver must interpret it in the desired form the sender wants and
give him the feedback or respond accordingly. Any communication where the sender does not
get the feedback, the communication is not complete and thus ineffective.

Helical Model of Communication

In 1967, Frank Dance has proposed the communication model called Dance's Helix
Model for a better communication process. 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 or cone.
 Helical Model of Communication in emphasized the difficulties of communication. Frank
Dance uses the form of a Helix to describe communication process. He developed this theory
based on a simple helix which gets bigger and bigger as it moves or grows. The main
characteristic of helical model of communication is that it is evolutionary.

According to the Helical model of communication, the process of communication evolves

from the very birth of an individual and continues till the existing moment. All living entities
start communicating from the very first day of their origin. When seeds are planted, they convey
the message to the gardener that they need to be watered daily and should be treated well with
fertilizers and manure. When a plant emerges from the seed it also starts communicating its need
for water, sunlight, manure and fertilizers, thus supporting the Helical model of communication.

Frank Dance explains the communication process based on this Helix structure and
compares it with communication. In the Helix structure, the bottom or starting is very small then
it’s gradually moves upward in a back and forth circular motion which form the bigger circle in
the top and its still moves further. The whole process takes some time to reach. As like helix, the
communication process starts very slowly and defined small circle. Communicators share
information only with small portion of themselves to their relationships.

The evolution of communication in a human life

In the Helical Model of Communication, time is an important factor. Especially the
concept of continuity and social interaction plays a major role in the evolution of
communication. After all, communication is considered a dynamic process, and progresses with
time, or age, as more experiences are gained, and one’s vocabulary increases.
 As shown in the image, the thread on the bottom of the helix is small, and becomes larger
as time and communication progress. This is because in the beginning, people only share little
information about themselves.
A similar effect can be seen in daily communication. After meeting for the first time, two
people know little about each other, but as they begin to learn more about another,
communication improves and becomes more open. After some time, a person’s activities from
both the past and the present are taken into account.
The helix grows steadily, and slowly moves upwards and leaves the lower behavioral
levels behind. As people grow older and acquire a greater vocabulary, they communicate more
and the screw thread thus becomes larger. According to the Helical Model of Communication,
communication is a continuous and normally non-repetitive process. It continues to expand, and
every activity influences the evolution of communication.
Practical example of the Helical Model of Communication
Frank Dance’s communication model assumes that a person’s communication starts at
birth, and continues as life progresses. Communication usually moves forward, but there are also
cases of it moving backwards. This is because memories and impressions from the past also
influence the present. Errors in communication usually teach a person what needs to be changed
to ensure effective future communication.
A common example for this model is the fact that a baby starts crying as soon as he or
she is born. Crying is the first and only form of communication. This moment therefore serves as
an important way of determining whether the baby is in good health. If the baby does not cry, a
nurse will usually give him/her an incentive to start communicating and to let everyone know
they are healthy.
In the time immediately after birth, the baby cries to communicate it wants to eat or that it
needs attention. Over time, the child learns their first words. At first, the child learns a specific
language, or languages, and communicates with people who speak the same language. All
knowledge acquired, and how it is applied in practice, is linked to past experiences. As the child
grows older, communication becomes more complex. For example, they learn certain facial
expressions or certain views.
In the example, the small circle of the spiral at the bottom indicates that crying is the only
form of communication. Once more possibilities for communication are acquired, the screw
thread becomes gradually wider.
Pros and cons of the Helical Model of Communication
The Helical Model of Communication is a relatively new communication model, and has
in fact more critics than supporters. The pros and cons of the model are described below.
The model assumes that there is a sender and receiver. This makes it a two-way model, with
similarities to traditional communication theories.
The model includes important aspects such as intelligence, languages, and experiences from
the past.
The model is relatively simple.
Cons of the Helical Model of Communication
The model is so simple that its critics do not actually call it a model, due to the limited number of
variables.
The model cannot be tested, and is very abstract.
The model is not organized.
Variables cannot be identified separately.
Continuity is not necessarily applicable when it comes communication.
The goal of communication is not always growth.
To summarize
Frank Dance published the Helical Model of Communication in 1967. Using this model,
he emphasized the role of disruptions and problems in communication. In the model,
communication is represented as a spiral process, from a person’s birth to the present. At birth,
the spiral is small due to limited means of communication. As a baby begins to communicate
through crying and language, the spiral becomes wider. Past experiences affect the way in which
communication is formed in the future.
The model is relatively new, but despite its prominence, it is rejected by many critics. The
model has few to no identifiable variables. Its creator’s opinion that communication is a
continuous process with the aim of growth has also been called into question.
Key words: source, message, channel, feedback, experience
Key Summary Ideas:
1. Source of information include documents, key people, books, and so forth that can
provide useful information about the subject matter under study. Learn more in: Handling
Extemporaneous Information in Requirements Engineering.
2. Message is a short communication sent from one person to another or the central theme
or idea of a communication. ... An example of a message is the important idea of world
peace; people try to spread the idea - or message - of world peace. An example of a
message is an email you receive in your inbox.
3. Communication channels are mediums through which you can send a message to its
intended audience.
4. Feedback refers to the response or reaction of receiver to the sender’s message. Feedback
is the essence of communication and is the final step of communication process.
5. Experience is knowledge or skill in a particular job or activity that you have gained
because you have done that job or activity for a long time.
6. Experience is used to refer to the past events, knowledge, and feelings that make up
someone's life or character.
7. Helix” which means an object having a three-dimensional shape like that of a wire wound
uniformly around a cylinder or cone.
8. Encoding is the process of turning thoughts into communication. The encoder uses a
'medium' to send the message — a phone call, email, text message, face-to-face meeting,
or other communication tool. The level of conscious thought that goes into encoding
messages may vary.
9. Decoding is the process of converting code into plain text or any format that is useful for
subsequent processes. Decoding is the reverse of encoding. It converts encoded data
communication transmissions and files to their original states.
10. Understanding exists when all parties involved have a mutual agreement as to not only
the information, but also the meaning of the information
Activity 1.
● Compare and contrast the models of communication by Shannon Weaver and Berlo by
using the Venn Diagram
Activity 2
● Cite a situational case of communication scenario by using Schramm Model of
communication.
● Make a paradigm using the Berlo model of communication on a situational scenario
using Schramm Model

References: