COMMUNICATION

MODELS AND THEORIES

 According to Mcquail and Windhall (1993):
- a model seeks to show the main elements of any structure or process and
the relationships between these elements

 Deutsch (1966 )
- models order and relate systems to each other by giving us images as a
wholes
- models gives a general picture of the particular circumstances in the
communication process
-models also help in explaining or clarifying the complicated or
ambiguous.

Communication models guide students to the key points of the

communication process or system. The model can also help the students in
predicting what will happen in the communication process.
Lasswell’s Model of Communication ( 1948 )
Harold D. Lasswell was an American political scientist who
wrote an article on communication research with this famous
phrase:
“A convenient way to describe an act of communication
is to answer the following questions:
Who?
Says What?
In which Channel?
To Whom?
With What Effect?”
Shannon and Weaver’s Mathematical Model ( 1949 )
The idea of information as information processing was firmly
established by Claude Shannon, who is considered one of the
founding fathers of the communication age.
He was a research scientist who used to work at the Bell
Telephone Laboratories with Warren Weaver.
Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication ( 1960 )
DAVID BERLO’s communication model discusses how the
communication process can be even more complex as many
key factors affect what could have been simple elements.
Schramm’s Communication Models ( 1954 )
In an early series of his models, Wilbur Schramm
proceeded from a simple human communication model that
accounted for the accumulated experiences of two individuals
trying to communicate to each other, and then to a model that
considers human communication as interaction between two
individuals.
 THEORIES
1. Aristotle’s Rhetoric
He established the rhetorical tradition of communication or
communication as artful public address. He said the available means of
persuasion are based on the three kinds of proofs:
a. logical ( logos )
- comes from the lines of argument in the speech
b. ethical ( ethos )
- refers to the way the speaker’s character is revealed through his
message
c. emotional ( pathos )
- is the feeling the speech draws out from the listeners
Aristotle identified three qualities that build high source
credibility:
intelligence
- one’s perceived intelligence has more to do with wisdom
and shared values
character
- the speaker’s image as a good or honest person
goodwill
- a positive judgment of the speaker’s intention toward the
audience
5 Canons of Rhetoric
1. Invention ( construction of an argument )
- The speaker draws on specialized knowledge about his topic and
general reasoning. There is cause, effect and motive.
2. Arrangement ( ordering of material )
3. Style ( selection of language )
- use of powerful metaphor is part of a good style
4. Delivery (techniques )
- naturalness appeals to the audiences as more persuasive than staged
delivery
5. Memory
- good speakers draw upon ideas stored in their mind
2. Herbert Blumer’s Symbolic Interactionism
The theory proposes that our ability to use symbols is what makes us uniquely human.
He presented his articles on symbolic interactionism in a single volume in which he
conceptualized symbolic interaction into three main points:
 Humans act towards things (including other individuals) on the basis of the meanings
they have for them.
 There is a particular emphasis on the consciousness of actors as they interpret their
actions.
 It is important to recognize that the meaning or value of an object to one person
may differ with another person- sociologists should not reduce human action to
social rules and norms.
 The meaning of things arises out of the social interactions one has with one's fellows.
 The meaning of something is a social product, therefore it is not inherent in things.
 Meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretive process a person uses
in dealing with the things he or she encounters.
 The actor gives objects meanings, act accordingly based on these meanings, and
then revises the meanings to guide his future action.
 The actor has an internal conversation with himself to determine the meanings,
especially when encountering something out of the ordinary.
3. Charles Berger’s Uncertainty Reduction Theory
- also known as initial interaction theory
- this theory assumes that people are basically curious

Berger contends that our drive to reduce the uncertainty of

having new acquaintances arises out of these three prior
conditions:
a. Anticipation of future interaction
b. Incentive Value
c. Deviance
4. Kenneth Burke’s Dramatism
5 Important Elements of the Human Drama or Dramatism

Act is what was done.

Scene gives a context for when and where the act was
performed.
Agent is the person who performed the act.
Agency is the means the agent used to do the deed.
Purpose is the stated or implied goal of the address.
5. Walter Fisher’s Narrative Theory
Narrative paradigm is a communication theory
conceptualized by 20th-century communication scholar Walter
Fisher. The paradigm claims that all meaningful communication
occurs via storytelling or reporting of events. Humans participate
as storytellers and observers of narratives. This theory further
claims that stories are more persuasive than arguments.[1][2]
Essentially the narrative paradigm helps us to explain how
humans are able to understand complex information through
narrative.