Alexander The Great Linear Model of Communication
Alexander The Great Linear Model of Communication
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 audienceand
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.
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
Wilbur Schramm published the circular communication model in 1954, several years
after Lasswell’s communication model was published. Schramm wrote and spoke about
the communication model—based on the model by Charles Egerton Osgood—in his
book ‘The Process and Effects of Mass Communication’. He later made some changes,
including introducing the field of experience, or commonality. This refers to what is
mutually understood between the recipient and the sender. A physics professor can
teach mathematical principles to a class of psychology students, but it won’t be easy as
the students don’t share a field of experience that would have made it easier to
understand the message.
Three Elements
According to the Schramm Communication Model, communication is circular and the
sender and recipient of the message can be the same person. A message is encrypted
and passed on to the same person or to a different person. It is up to the recipient to
decrypt the message, interpret it, and then encode it again before sending the message
to a new recipient (circular). There is no fourth element, such as the in Berlo’s SMCR
communication model
Source (Encoder)
The source of the message is the sender; the party who sent the message. The source
has to be clear when sending the message and has to be able to show why it is
important that the recipient reads it. This is why the sender of a message has to make
sure that the information he is providing is useful, relevant, and accurate.
In order to ensure that the recipient can properly read the message, it has to be
encoded. This means it is necessary for the recipient to know the sender. The success
of the attempt at communication will depend on the ability to bring across the
information in a simple but clear way. The way in which the message is encoded is
influenced by cultural aspects, perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, experiences, and
skills.
Recipient (Decoder)
The recipient of a message is the person or group to whom the message has been sent.
Whether the recipient is able to decode the message depends on a number of factors.
For instance, how much does the individual know about the topic of the message, but
also how open are they for a message and do they trust the source. The interpretations
of the recipient are influenced by cultural aspects, perceptions, knowledge, attitudes,
experiences, and skills as well.
Decoding a message is a psychological process. After the message has been received,
the stimulus is immediately sent to the brain for interpretation. This is where the
message is given meaning, if at all. This processing phase is also called decoding.
Communication is successful when the recipient correctly interprets the message from
the source.
Message
In the studies of rhetoric and communication, a message is defined as information. This
information is communicated through words or other characters and symbols. A
message, either verbal or non-verbal, is the content of the communication process and
plays an important role in the Schramm Communication Model.
A message may contain verbal content, such as speech, sign language, emails,
WhatsApp messages, or phone calls. A message can also consist of non-verbal
content, such as behaviour, gestures, body language, eye contact, physical contact,
timing, and even artefacts.