1.

1Lasswell’s Communication Model

Lasswell’s communication model was developed by communication theorist Harold D.

Lasswell (1902-1978) in 1948. Lasswell’s model of communication (also known
as action model or linear model or one way model of communication) is regarded
as one the most influential communication models.Lasswell’s communication model has
5 components which is used as an analysis tool for evaluating the communication
process and components. The components are the questions to be asked to get the
answers and keep communication going.

COMPONENTS MEANING ANALYSIS

Who the communicator or sender or source of Control

message Analysis

Says What the content of the message Content

Analysis

In Which Channel the medium or media Media

Analysis

To Whom the receiver of the message or an audience Audience

Analysis

With What Effect the feedback of the receiver to the sender Effect
Analysis
Aristotle’s Model of Communication

Aristotle(384-322 B.C) was a Greek philosopher and writer born in Stagira, Northern
Greece. He was also the teacher of Alexander the Great. He studied physics, logic,
mathematics, etc.

While exploring the human nature scientifically, Aristotle developed a linear model of
communication for oral communication known as Aristotle’s Model of Communication.
This is considered as the first model of communication and was proposed before 300
B.C. It is also the is most widely accepted among all communication models.

Aristotle Model is mainly focused on speaker and speech. It can be broadly divided into
5 primary elements: Speaker, Speech, Occasion, Audience and Effect.

The Aristotle’s communication model is a speaker centered model as the speaker has
the most important role in it and is the only one active. It is the speaker’s role to deliver
a speech to the audience. The role of the audience is passive, influenced by the
speech. This makes the communication process one way, from speaker to receiver.

The speaker must organize the speech beforehand, according to the target
audience and situation (occasion). The speech must be prepared so that the audience
be persuaded or influenced from the speech.

He believed “Rhetoric” is the study of communication and persuasion and different

message or speech should be made for different audiences at different situations to get
desired effects or to establish a propaganda. This model was highly used to
develop public speaking skills and create a propaganda at that time so, it is less
focused on intrapersonal or interpersonal communication.

Even if the model is speaker oriented and focuses on audience interaction in

communication, there is no concept of feedbacks.

For instance, a politician (speaker) gives a speech to get votes from the civilians
(audience) at the time of election (occasion). The civilians only vote if they are
influenced by the things the politician says in his speech so the content must be very
impressive to influence the mass and the speaker must design the message very
carefully.

The speech must be clear as well as the speaker must have a very good non-verbal
communication with the audience like eye contact. This example is a classic case of
Aristotle Model of Communication depicting all the elements in the model.

Critical Elements of a Good Communicator

Aristotle has given 3 elements that must be present in a good communicator or public
speaker. These elements are related to each other and they reinforce the other
elements.

Ethos

Ethos is the characteristic which makes you credible in front of the audience. If there is
no credibility, the audience will not believe in you and will not be persuaded by you.
Expertise and positions also give credibility to a person.

For instance, the mass will not listen to the promises of a corrupt politician, but if a
politician is known for his good deeds, there’s a high change his speech will be heard.

Pathos

If what you say matters to them and they can connect with it, then they will be more
interested and they will think you are more credible. Emotional bonds will make the
audience captivated and they feel the speaker is one of their own people.
For instance, if people of a village needs water and the politician tells them that he will
help in building roads, the people will not get influenced but might be more influenced if
he says he’ll build a dam for drinking water and irrigation.

Logos

Logos is logic. People believe in you only if they understand what you are trying to say.
People find logic in everything. If there is no logic behind the speaker’s work or time,
they do not want to get involved. Everybody has a sense of reason. You must present
facts to the audience for them to believe in you.

For example, a presenter using factual data in an awareness program will attract the
audience’s attention and will make them believe in the need of awareness in the
particular matter.

Criticisms of Aristotle’s Model of Communication

There are few criticisms around this model. Some of them are

 There is no concept of feedback, it is one way from speaker to audience.

 There is no concept of communication failure like noise and barriers.
 This model can only be used in public speaking.

Shannon and Weaver Model Of Communication

Shannon Weaver model of communication was created in 1948 when Claude Elwood
Shannon wrote an article “A Mathematical Theory of Communication” in Bell System
Technical Journalwith Warren Weaver.

Shannon was an American mathematician whereas Weaver was a scientist. The

Mathematical theory later came to be known as Shannon Weaver model of
communication or “mother of all models.” This model is more technological than
other linear models.
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.

Receiver (Destination) –Receiver is the person who gets the message or the place
where the message must reach. The receiver provides feedback according to the
message.

Noise –Noise is the physical disturbances like environment, people, etc. which does not
let the message get to the receiver as what is sent.
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.

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.

Levels of Communication Problems

There are three levels of problems of communication according to Shannon Weaver.

They are:

1. Technical problem –How a channel causes a problem

2. Semantic problem –Is the meaning of message sent and received very different
3. Effectiveness problem –How effectively does the message cause reaction

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.

Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication

In 1960, David Berlo postulated Berlo’s Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver (SMCR)

model of communication from Shannon Weaver’s Model of Communication (1949). He
described factors affecting the individual components in the communication making the
communication more efficient.

The model also focuses on encoding and decoding which happens before sender sends
the message and before receiver receives the message respectively.

Berlo’s Model has mainly, four components to describe the communication process.
They are sender, message, channel and receiver. Each of the component is affected
by many factors.
Components of Berlo’s Model of Communication

S -Sender

Sender is the source of the message or the person who originates the message. The
person or source sends the message to the receiver. The following are the factor
related to sender and is also the same in the case of receiver.

 Communication Skills
Communication skills of a person is a factor that affects the communication
process. If the sender has good communication skills, the message will be
communicated better than if the sender’s communication skills are not good.
Similarly, if the receiver can not grasp the message, then the communication will
not be effective. Communication skills include the skills to speak, present, read,
write, listening, etc.
 Attitude
The attitude of the sender and the receiver creates the effect of the message. The
person’s attitude towards self, the receiver and the environment changes the
meaning and effect of the message.
 Knowledge
Familiarity with the subject of the message makes the communicated message
have its effect more. Knowledge on the subject matter makes the communicator
send the message effectively.
 Social Systems
Values, beliefs, laws, rules, religion and many other social factors affect the
sender’s way of communicating the message. It creates difference in the
generation of message. Place and situation also fall under social systems.
 Culture
Cultural differences make messages different. A person from one culture might
find something offensive which is very much accepted in another culture.

M-Message

A message is the substance that is being sent by the sender to the receiver. It might be
in the form of voice, audio, text, video or other media. The key factors affecting the
message are

 Content
Content is the thing that is in the message. The whole message from beginning to
end is the content.
 Elements
Elements are the non verbal things that tag along with the content like gestures,
signs, language, etc.
  Treatment
Treatment is the way in which the message is conveyed to the receiver. Treatment
also effects the feedback of the receiver.
 Structure
The structure of the message or the way it has been structured or arranged,
affects the effectiveness of the message.
 Code
Code is the form in which the message is sent. It might be in the form of language,
text, video, etc.

C-Channel

Channel is the medium used to send the message. In mass communication and other
forms of communication, technical machines might be used as a channel like telephone,
internet, etc. But in general communication, the five senses of a human being is the
channel for the communication flow and it affects the effectiveness of the channel.

 Hearing – We receive the message through hearing.

 Seeing – We perceive through seeing. We also get non-verbal messages by
seeing.
 Touching – Many of the non-verbal communication happens from touching like
holding hands.
 Smelling – We collect information from smelling.
 Tasting – Taste also provides the information to be sent as a message.

R- Receiver

Receiver is the person who gets the message sent in the process. This model believes
that the thinking pattern and all other factors mentioned above must be in sync to that of
the sender for the communication to be effective. The message might not have the
same effect as intended if the receiver and sender are not similar. The receiver must
also have a very good listening skill. Other factors are similar to that of the sender.

 Communication skills
 Attitudes
 Knowledge
 Social Systems
 Culture

Criticisms of Berlo’s SMCR Model

 There is no concept of feedback, so the effect is not considered.

 There is no concept of noise or any kind of barriers in communication process.
 It is a linear model of communication, there is no two way communication.
 Both of the people must be similar according to all the factors mentioned above.