Models of communication

Reginald H. Gonzales
LESSON OBJECTIVES
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Define communication models and explain their role in

understanding the communication process.
2. Identify and describe the seven major models of communication
and their key assumptions.
3. Differentiate between linear, interactive, and transactional
models based on their focus and process type.
4. Apply each model to real-life communication scenarios.
Why Models are Important
A model is a simplified representation of reality, showing how
the communication process works.
Functions of a model:
● Identifies the elements of communication.
● Shows relationships between those elements.
● Explains flow of messages.
● Points out where problems (noise, misunderstanding) may
occur.
● Guides research and improves communication strategies.
Guide questions
1. What is a communication model, and why is it important in
studying the communication process?
2. How do the seven major models differ in terms of their
assumptions, focus, and process type?
3. Which models present communication as one-way, and which show it
as interactive or socially oriented?
4. How do the concepts of feedback, noise, shared experiences, and
gatekeeping appear across different models?
5. Which model do you think is most applicable in the age of social
media, and why?
Basic Communication Process
Elements:

● Sender – initiates the message.

● Message – the idea or information to be shared.
● Channel – medium used to transmit the message.
● Receiver – person or group receiving the message.
● Feedback – response from the receiver back to the sender.

In interpersonal communication: usually face-to-face, immediate feedback.

In mass communication: feedback is delayed or indirect; messages are

multiplied and sent to large, diverse audiences.
Types of communication models
Linear Model

This is the simplest model, where communication flows in one direction only—from the
sender to the receiver—with no immediate feedback. The sender encodes the message,
transmits it through a channel, and the receiver decodes it.

Key Assumption: The receiver is a passive participant who simply receives the
message.

Main Limitation:No way to check if the message was understood correctly since
feedback is absent.

Example:

● Television and radio broadcasts

● Public announcements over a PA system
Types of communication models
Interactive Model

This model acknowledges that communication is a two-way process. It adds the concept
of feedback from the receiver back to the sender, making the process more dynamic
than the linear model.

Key Assumption:Communication happens in turns—one sends, the other responds, but not
simultaneously.

Main Limitation:Still does not fully capture the complexity of real-time,

overlapping communication.

Example:

● Teacher explaining a topic, and students asking questions afterward

● Email correspondence or letters
Types of communication models
Transactional Model of Communication

This is the most realistic and complex model. It shows communication as a

simultaneous process, where both people are senders and receivers at the same time.

Key Assumption: Communication is influenced by context, relationships, environment,

and noise, and meaning is co-created between participants.

Main Strength: Captures how real-life communication often overlaps, with verbal and
nonverbal cues exchanged in real time.

Example:

● Face-to-face conversations where people nod, smile, or interrupt naturally

● Video calls where gestures, tone, and words all interact instantly
Evolution of Communication Models
Aristotle’s Model (300 B.C.)

● Communication is primarily a one-way, speaker-centered process aimed at

persuading an audience.
● The success of communication depends on the speaker’s ability to craft a
persuasive message and deliver it effectively to influence the audience’s
thoughts, emotions, or actions.
● The focus is on:
○ Speaker (Source) – the one who originates the message.
○ Speech (Message) – what the speaker wants to convey.
○ Audience (Receiver) – the listeners or readers who interpret the
message.
○ Occasion/Context – the situation in which communication happens.
● The audience plays a passive role; the speaker has the main responsibility
for clarity, persuasion, and impact.
Evolution of Communication Models
Hypodermic Needle Theory

It assumes that media messages are directly “injected” into the minds of passive
audiences, producing an immediate, uniform effect on everyone.

Key assumptions:

1. Audience as passive – people do not question or resist the message; they

simply accept it.
2. Direct and immediate effect – the message influences everyone in the same
way, like an injection.
3. Strong media power – media has the ability to shape opinions, attitudes, and
behaviors instantly.
4. No feedback or interaction – communication is one-way, with no active role
for the audience.
Harold Lasswell (1948)
Key Assumption:

Communication is a linear process where the source controls

the message, and its impact can be measured by analyzing who
says what, in which channel, to whom, and with what effect.
Harold Lasswell (1948)
● Communication is a linear, one-way process.
● The source controls the message and its delivery.
● Messages can be analyzed through five elements:
Who, Says What, In Which Channel, To Whom, With
What Effect.
● The primary concern is the impact or effect of
communication on the audience.
● Useful for studying mass media influence and
propaganda.
Shannon & Weaver (1949)
Key Assumption:

Communication is the transmission of information from sender

to receiver, with effectiveness depending on clear encoding,
proper channel use, and minimal interference from noise.
Shannon & Weaver (1949)
● Communication is the transmission of information from
sender to receiver.
● Effectiveness depends on clear encoding and accurate
decoding.
● Noise is any interference that distorts or disrupts
the message.
● Works for both technical systems (telephones, signals)
and human communication.
● Feedback was not part of the original model, making it
mostly one-way.
Charles Osgood (1954)
Key Assumption:

Communication is a linear
process where the source
controls the message, and its
impact can be measured by
analyzing who says what, in
which channel, to whom, and
with what effect.
Charles Osgood (1954)
● Communication is circular and continuous rather than
linear.
● Participants act as both senders and receivers,
switching roles constantly.
● Each person encodes, decodes, and interprets messages.
● The process can begin with either sending or receiving
a message.
● Particularly relevant to interpersonal conversations.
Wilbur Schramm Model (1954–1971)(1954)
Key Assumption:

Communication is the sharing

of experiences, requiring
overlapping fields of
experience between sender and
receiver for understanding,
with feedback and noise
influencing the process.
Wilbur Schramm Model (1954–1971)(1954)
● Communication is a process of sharing experiences.
● Understanding occurs only when fields of experience
overlap between sender and receiver.
● Includes feedback as an essential component of
communication.
● Noise can distort or interfere with the message.
● Social and cultural context shape both message
creation and interpretation.
George Gerbner Model (1956)
Key Assumption:

Communication links reality

to messages through
subjective perception and
media selection, with meaning
shaped by the interaction
between the message and the
receiver.
George Gerbner Model (1956)
● Communication connects reality to messages through human
perception.
● Perception is subjective, shaped by the communicator’s
viewpoint.
● Two main dimensions: Perceptual (how events are
observed) and Means & Control (how messages are
transmitted).
● Media may filter or bias the portrayal of events.
● Meaning is the result of interaction between the
receiver and the message.
Theodore Newcomb Model (1953)
Key Assumption:

Communication maintains
balance in social
relationships by keeping
sender and receiver aligned
in their orientation toward a
shared object or event.
Theodore Newcomb Model (1953)
● Communication maintains equilibrium in social systems.
● Uses a triangular A–B–X relationship: sender (A),
receiver (B), and shared focus (X).
● Change in one part of the system affects the other
parts.
● Communication ensures shared orientation toward
important events or issues.
● Social context drives the need for continuous
information exchange.
Westley & MacLean Model (1957)
Key Assumption:

Mass communication is shaped

by gatekeepers who filter and
modify messages before
delivering them to audiences.
Westley & MacLean Model (1957)
● Mass communication involves gatekeepers who decide which
messages reach the audience.
● Messages pass through checkpoints (editors, producers)
before delivery.
● The audience receives a filtered version of events.
● The perceptions of both sender and gatekeeper influence
content.
● Highlights the control role of media organizations in
shaping public information.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
● Communication models evolved from simple, one-way processes
to interactive, socially influenced systems.
● Lasswell’s model emphasizes breaking communication into
elements for analysis and measuring its effects.
● Shannon & Weaver introduced the concept of noise and focused
on message clarity and technical accuracy.
● Osgood’s model highlighted role-switching and the continuous
exchange of messages in interpersonal contexts.
● Schramm’s model stressed the importance of shared
experiences and feedback for mutual understanding.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
● Gerbner’s model recognized that communication involves
perception of reality and that media can filter or bias this
reality.
● Newcomb’s model linked communication to social balance, showing
it helps maintain relationships and shared orientations.
● Westley & MacLean’s model revealed the powerful role of
gatekeepers in filtering and shaping mass communication.
● Across models, feedback, noise, shared context, and media
control are recurring themes that affect communication
effectiveness.