User:Nouha Mihoubi/Models of communication

Article Draft

Berlo

David Berlo

Professor at Michigan State University, David Berlo expanded Shannon and Weaver's 1949 linear model of communication and created the sender-message-channel-receiver (SMCR) model of communication in 1960. The SMCR model of communication separated the model into four clear parts and has been expanded upon by other scholars.

Berlo's communication process is a simple application for person-to-person communication, which includes communication source, message, channel and communication receiver. Berlo points out that there is an encoding process of the message which takes place from the source to the channel, and a decoding process of the initial message by the receiver . In addition, David Berlo presented some factors that influence the communication process between two people. Each part of the communication process can be directly affected by underlying factors which include communication skills, awareness level, social system, cultural system, and attitude. Interestingly enough, the factors that impact the message being sent are the same factors that impact the received decoded message.

David Berlo described the process as follows:

1- Source:

The source, wether represented by an individual or an institution such as the UN, produces a message and sends it . It is affected by factors, which in turn affects the communication process and the message being transmitted:

• Communication Skills- The communication skills (writing, speaking- also knows as encoding skills ) important in ensuring a successful communication process, vary from one source to another, and can either lead to the success or lack thereof of the communication process.
• Attitude- The attitude the sender has towards the receiver, whether neutral, unfavourable or very favourable, affects the message significantly.
• Knowledge- The source's knowledge or lack thereof of a subject being communicated affects the delivery and the receiver's understanding of the message .
• Social cultural context- The social and cultural context of both the source and the receiver impacts the communication process.

2- Message:

The message is what is actually being transferred in the model. It is composed of numerous aspects which in turn allow for the completion and understanding of the message:

• Code- Every message is primarily compromised of a code (symbols). This can refer to the the language (ex: Spanish, Arabic, Korean) as well as the jargon used.
• Content- The content is intimately linked with the code and refers to the overall idea and information that the sender wants to get across to the receiver. Thus, the sender has to select certain ideas from a topic to convey to said receiver.
• treatment- After the content selection process comes the treatment of the selected information. This can include emphasising certain parts of the message, the style of language, as well as the general tone (formal or informal), all tailored according to the receiver.

3- Channel:

• Seeing
• touching
• smelling
• tasting
• hearing

4- Receiver:

To sum it all up, Berlo's communication process starts at the source, which is the part that produces the message using its communication skills, attitude, knowledge, social system, and culture. After the message is developed, which are elements in a set of symbols, the sender step begins. The encoding process is where the motor skills take place by speaking, writing, touching, etc. The message goes through the channel which carries the message. Then the receiver step begins. The decoding process is where the sensory skills take place by hearing, seeing, feeling touch, etc. Finally, the communication process ends at the destination, which is the part that interprets the message using its communication skills, attitude, knowledge, social system, and culture.

Liner

Linear Communication

This is a one-way model to communicate with others. It consists of the sender encoding a message and channeling it to the receiver in the presence of noise. In this model there is no feedback or response which may allow for a continuous exchange of information (F.N.S. Palma, 1993). [

The linear communication model was first introduced by Shannon and Weaver in 1949. In this model, the message travels one direction from the sender to the receiver. In other words, once the sender sends the message to the receiver, the communication process ends. Many communications online use the linear communication model. For example, when you send an email, post a blog, or share something on social media.

Source 1:

• Derived by two mathematicians Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver as a response to Laswells questions
• not universally accepted
• was created with almost a objective perspective from non-communication related scholars in an attempt to understand and communicate how certain types of communication occur

Ontology - Potentially Combined Ontology, Epistemology & Axiology together under one condensed paragraph (?)

• Ontology essentially poses the question of what, exactly, the theorist is examining [Source 2 - BP 1&2]. One must consider the very nature of reality. The answer usually falls in one of three realms depending on whether the theorist sees the phenomena through the lens of a realist, nominalist, or social constructionist. Realist perspective views the world objectively, believing that there is a world outside of our own experience and cognitions. Nominalists see the world subjectively, claiming that everything outside of one's cognitions is simply names and labels. Social constructionists straddle the fence between objective and subjective reality, claiming that reality is what we create together
• Source 2:
  • the philosophical perspective of communication
  • seeks the clarification and explanation of entities
    • object of inquiry and what you expect to examine

__________

Harold Lasswell

Harold Lasswell's a eminent professor who taught at the Yale University, earning his bachelor's degree in philosophy and economics; completing his PhD at the University of Chicago is an American political scientist. He is known for his studies on dynamics of power relations, contemporary behaviour in political science, as well as contributions to the study of communication.

Lasswell believes that there is 3 functions for communication . Specifically, the surveillance of the environment, the correlation of components of society, the cultural transmission between generations. Lasswell's model of communication offers a different perspective on communication rather than Shannon-Weaver. He believes that the way to describe an act of communication is to answer certain questions , looking at his model below, the impact of each stage of communication can alter an individuals answer.

• Who -> Says what -> In which Channel? -> To Whom -> With what effect

This can be seen in practice when looking at real world examples: Specifically, when CNN new reported a water leak from Japan’s tsunami-crippled nuclear power station. This resulted in about 100 times the permitted level of radioactive material flowing into the sea; this was reported by an operator from Tokyo Electric Power Co.

When putting this example into Lasswell's model, it is as follows:

• Who – TEPC Operator What – Radioactive material flowing into sea Channel – CNN NEWS (Television medium) Whom – Public Effect – Alert the people of japan from the radiation

There are various critiques of Lasswell's model, but some of the most prominent is that , he does not mention anything about feedback, and exterior noise is not mentioned within his model. Although Lasswell's model is valuable, it does not account for feedback and exterior noise, which are two significant components that can impact the process.