Communication Models

1. differentiate the various models of communication;

2. explain the process of communication through the elements involved; and

3. recognize the importance of the models in understanding the communication process as applied in everyday life.

Communicating with others takes us to a new experience. We are either the ones starting the conversation process or the ones receiving it. As the exchange of information progresses, both the source and the recipient go through favorable or unfavorable experiences. The two or more individuals involved may end up satisfied or discontented with the result. At some random instances, conflicts may incidentally arise. But still, the end goal of communication is always for building better human relationships.

In the previous lesson, we talked about the functions, nature and process of communication. Let us recall some key terms that you encountered in the discussion.

How often do you and your family eat all together? What do you normally talk about? Read the anecdote and extract the different communication situations that you will find in the story.

Criselda walked out from her room, still sleepy, her hair unkempt, her sleepwear on but appeared equally thrilled as her siblings shared the table with their mother.

“Nanay, I can smell the aroma of your best delicacy, adobo,” she remarked. “Yeah, I know. It is the favorite of the family so adobo is what I prepared today,” she answered. Criselda replied, “I can’t wait to taste it!”

Mang Cardo, the man of the family, is a clerk in one of the rural banks in town. He was talking to somebody over the phone; his voice echoed excitement but later on, his positive mood gradually vanished. As he turned towards the table, he shrugged his shoulders for disappointment.

“Let’s eat!” mother exclaimed, wanting to turn the situation around. But everybody seemed to have been overwhelmed by their father’s silence. It was the first time they saw him in a really low spirit. “What happened?” at last, the wife asked.

“I may lose my job,” he said with a croaky voice.

“But why?” Aling Terie was surprised and so were the children. She quickly walked towards him and patted his shoulder. “It’s okay. You can still find another job,” she said offering him a seat.

The children also let their father feel their support as they smilingly uttered, “Tatay, don’t worry, we are here to help.”

“Yes, we will assist nanay in selling fish in the market after school hours,” Tonio said. “Maybe we can add vegetables to sell too, for additional income,” Maria added. Criselda, on the other hand, volunteered to do the home chores.

“Thank you, my dear children,” was all Aling Terie could say.

Mang Cardo was moved by his family’s gesture. He was not expecting for such an all-out support. He felt good about it. He started asking his kids about their activities in school and how they fared in their subjects.

Each of them excitedly told his own story. Criselda declared, “I got highest score in Math, so my teacher rewarded me with a bar of chocolate.” Tonio then mentioned about their project in Science which could eliminate foot smell and everyone poked fun at it. They asked him whether they could try the product to see if it would really work. Maria spoke about their field trip to the town’s historical heritage and talked about what she learned from it.

Exchanges of stories persisted until someone gave Mang Cardo a ring. The ringing lasted for some seconds and finally, he stood up to answer the call.

As he returned to the table, he was smiling. He was informed that the retrenchment was not for him; it was a mistake. Now, the glitch is fixed and he is to report to work the next day again.

ll of them could not contain their happiness. And so, they sat down again to eat all together. “We will go to the church after breakfast, as usual,” Mang Cardo sighed with relief.

Now, answer the following questions:

1. What are the different communication scenarios in the story?

2. How did each communication scenario develop?

3. Did a conflict arise in the story? What kind of conflict is it? Did it affect the communication process? Was it resolved? How? How did the rest of the family members react to it?

4. How can we establish a good communication?

5. What is the importance of communication in our daily life?

Imagine your life and the world you live in without proper communication procedure. Would there be order or chaos? Would there be understanding or misunderstanding?

Communication plays a crucial role in human life. It facilitates the sending and receiving of knowledge and information. It allows people to develop various kinds of social relationships. It provides an avenue for people to express their ideas, thoughts, feelings, and insights. Without it, societies will be restrained from developing and progressing. With all the advancements in technology, communication nowadays has changed dramatically, adapting to the 21st century way of life. Beginning from the ancient times when messages were written on tablets, clays and barks of trees or conveyed by the heralds or emissaries for proclamations to an entire territory, communication has drastically evolved to fastest means of sending messages through electronic gadgets and computers. Video calling or conferences is another high technological innovation where distance is not quite a problem anymore to foster mutual understanding.

The representations below will help you understand the basic elements of communication. See how the elements operate and interact as communication progresses.

Models of Communication Process

A.Linear Communication

Have you talked to somebody but did not get any reaction from him/her at all? Have you experienced sending a message without receiving any feedback? This is linear communication.

Linear communication is one-way, focusing on the transmission of a message to a receiver who never responds or has no way of responding to the information conveyed. For instance, a competition organizer is presenting the contest mechanics. The message is final and cannot be contended at all. It could be the president giving his State of the Nation Address on the national television or a student who reads a poem or tells a story in front of an audience in a school program. Other examples include sending a notification or automated message that does not require a reply, reading a blog, or even the traditional way of sending a message such as a telegram.

B. Interactive

When was the last time someone surprised you? How did you react? Who was the last person whom you praised for a job well-done? What response did you get? What is the significance of getting a response or reaction from the person to whom you addressed your statement?

Interactive approach is a two-way communication process where a response is given after a message is sent. The recipient of the action intentionally or unintentionally gives a feedback associated with the information received.

Let us extract Criselda and her mother’s dialogue from the story

Criselda: Nanay, I can smell the aroma of your best delicacy, adobo.

Aling Terie: Yeah, I know. It is the favorite of the family so adobo is what I prepared today.

Criselda: I can’t wait to taste it!

Aling Terie’s response to Criselda’s statement proves that she decodes the intended meaning of the idea passed on to her. That is what we call feedback.

See, feedback makes a difference. If the mother did not respond to the statement of her daughter, the latter would not know whether her mother understands what she said. The exchange of ideas or information verifies that both parties understand the message. Take a look at the next model.

The figure identifies the six elements of communication which are the sender, the message sent, the receiver and the feedback provided by the receiver and sent back as a response to the sender and the processes of encoding and decoding.

Remember, information may become useless if it is not conveyed properly to others. Thus, the processes of encoding and decoding are the key components of this model, including feedback.

Encoding is when an idea or information is translated into words and expressed to others.

Decoding is when this idea or information is understood and interpreted by the receiver.

Hence, the receiver must be able to send feedback to the sender in order to complete the process. Otherwise, the communication transaction fails. Schramm’s model, which is a two-way communication model, revolves around these principles.

The process goes on starting from the sender (source) who encodes the message transmitted to the receiver which he interprets; decodes a message (feedback) to be sent back to the source who in turn, decodes and interprets the information sent.

C. Transactional Model

Communication is dynamic. It has a complex nature. It takes place among individuals at any given time with any given subject. However, there are tendencies that barriers would interfere which may create a sudden impact and change in the processing of information.

In a classroom setting, for example, you are being grouped into five or six members for an activity. Your task is to give an opinion or reaction to the closure of the biggest television network in the Philippines. Each of you expresses your thoughts regarding the matter. While having that activity, you also heard the JHS graders having their dance practice for the upcoming event. That noise did not interrupt your discussion as you give your own views. This situation is an example of a transactional approach.

The communicator (source) encodes the message and transmits it through a channel. The message transmitted may be affected by the noise (barrier). The receiver (recipient of the message) decodes, processes, and filters the message for understanding and is now ready to give his own feedback to the sender.

Feedback is given freely and deliberately to one another or to all members participating in the communication transaction. The sender and the receiver may simultaneously exchange roles as communicators. Since communication is deemed dynamic and progressive, the topic may also change from time to time.

In this concept, the noise or barrier to communication is also taken into consideration for it may directly or indirectly affect the smooth flow of communication. In the event that the message was not clearly conveyed due to the barrier, the communication continues in order to clarify the intended meaning of the sender. When the transmission is cut along the way due to the barrier, the communicators work collaboratively to understand each other. Now, the sender becomes a receiver of feedback (the response from the receiver) and the receiver also acts as sender providing information in response to the message conveyed to him. In this way, the communication is made more effective and complete.