Communication Models
Summary
TLDRThis script explores three primary models of communication: the transmission model, which views communication as a linear process with potential interference; the transactional model, emphasizing interactive meaning-making and feedback; and the constitutive model, which posits that communication actively creates our social reality. The summary highlights the evolution from a one-way message delivery to a dynamic, reciprocal interaction that shapes our understanding of communication.
Takeaways
- 📚 The script discusses three main models of communication: the transmission model, the transactional model, and the constitutive model.
- 📘 The transmission model, introduced by Shannon & Weaver in 1948, views communication as a linear process with a sender, message, channel, receiver, and potential noise interference.
- 🏹 The transmission model is likened to an archer, where the message is sent without certainty of hitting the target, emphasizing the lack of feedback in this model.
- 🔍 This model is criticized for not accounting for nonverbal communication and the complexities of human interaction.
- 🤝 The transactional model, developed by Watzlawick and others in the late 1960s, sees communication as an interactive process where meaning is created through interaction between senders and receivers.
- 💬 The transactional model includes nonverbal communication and feedback, emphasizing that communication is an ongoing, two-way process.
- 🎭 The 'dance' metaphor is used to describe the transactional model, highlighting the dynamic and simultaneous nature of communication.
- 🌐 The constitutive model, proposed by Robert Craig in 1999, posits that communication is not just about conveying information but is the driving force that creates our social world.
- 🏗️ According to the constitutive model, communication is the primary social process that shapes our society, relationships, and lives.
- 🔑 The script suggests that understanding these models helps in interpreting communication research and readings.
- 🔄 Each model offers a different perspective on communication, with the transactional and constitutive models addressing the shortcomings of the transmission model.
Q & A
What are the three main models of communication discussed in the script?
-The three main models of communication discussed are the transmission model, the transactional model, and the constitutive model.
Who developed the transmission model of communication and in what year?
-The transmission model was developed by Shannon & Weaver in 1948.
What is the technological angle in the transmission model of communication?
-The technological angle in the transmission model is that it envisions a sender who encodes a message and transmits it through a channel, similar to the phone system.
What is the role of 'noise' in the transmission model of communication?
-In the transmission model, 'noise' can interfere with the message at any point along the way, potentially causing the message to be garbled or not make sense when received.
How does the transmission model view the occurrence of communication?
-According to the transmission model, communication has successfully occurred when a message has been sent and received, regardless of whether the receiver understood the message.
What is a major weakness of the transmission model in terms of face-to-face communication?
-A major weakness of the transmission model is the lack of feedback and nonverbal communication, which does not capture the complexities of face-to-face interactions.
Who are the key contributors to the transactional model of communication and when were their contributions made?
-Paul Watzlawick and his colleagues in 1967, and Dean Barnlund in 1970, contributed to the development of the transactional model of communication.
How does the transactional model differ from the transmission model in terms of meaning creation?
-The transactional model believes that meaning is created through interaction between people, not contained in the words themselves.
What is the significance of the phrase 'You cannot not communicate' in the transactional model?
-The phrase signifies that individuals are always sending messages, whether intentionally or unintentionally, including through nonverbal communication and feedback.
What is the constitutive model's view on the role of communication in society?
-The constitutive model sees communication as the primary social process that creates and constitutes society, relationships, and our lives.
Who proposed the constitutive theory of communication and what did they emphasize?
-Robert Craig proposed the constitutive theory in 1999, emphasizing that communication is not just a tool but the central activity that creates social reality.
How does the constitutive model relate to the idea of 'organizing' as opposed to 'organization'?
-The constitutive model aligns with the idea of 'organizing' as it views communication as an ongoing activity that creates and maintains social structures, rather than a static term like 'organization'.
Outlines
📡 Transmission Model of Communication
The first paragraph introduces the transmission model of communication, which was conceptualized by Shannon and Weaver in 1948. This model likens communication to a technological process where a sender encodes a message and transmits it through a channel to a receiver who decodes it. The model is linear and one-way, similar to a pipeline or an archer shooting an arrow. It emphasizes that communication is successful when the message is sent and received, regardless of whether it is understood or not. However, this model lacks feedback and nonverbal cues, which are significant in face-to-face communication. It is particularly useful for understanding communication through technological channels but falls short in explaining the complexities of human interaction.
💬 Transactional Model of Communication
The second paragraph delves into the transactional model of communication, which was developed by Paul Watzlawick and others in the late 1960s and early 1970s to address the shortcomings of the transmission model. This model views communication as an interactive process where meaning is created through the interaction between people, rather than being contained within the words themselves. It incorporates nonverbal communication and feedback, asserting that individuals are always communicating, whether intentionally or not. The model uses the metaphor of a dance to illustrate the dynamic, two-way nature of communication, where participants continuously adjust and interpret cues to reach a shared understanding. It also considers the context, the field of experience of each communicator, and the relationship dynamics at play in a conversation, making it a more comprehensive approach to face-to-face communication.
🌐 Constitutive Model of Communication
The third paragraph discusses the constitutive model of communication, introduced by Robert Craig in 1999, which posits that communication is not just a tool for expressing social reality but also a means of creating it. This model sees communication as the primary social process that shapes our society, relationships, and lives. It argues that communication is constitutive, actively forming the social structures and psychological features of our world. The model draws parallels with the concept of 'organizing' over 'organization', emphasizing the ongoing activity of communication in establishing and maintaining social constructs. This perspective highlights the central role of communication in the creation and sustenance of our social world, beyond the mere exchange of information.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Transmission Model of Communication
💡Noise
💡Transactional Model of Communication
💡Nonverbal Communication
💡Feedback
💡Shared Meaning
💡Field of Experience
💡Content and Relationship Dynamics
💡Constitutive Model of Communication
💡Organizing
Highlights
Introduction of three main models of communication found in textbooks: transmission, transactional, and constitutive models.
Explanation of the transmission model by Shannon & Weaver in 1948, with a technological perspective from their work at Bell Telephone Laboratories.
Description of the sender-encoding-message process and its transmission through a channel to a receiver in the transmission model.
Inclusion of noise as an interfering factor in the transmission model, potentially garbling the message during decoding and reception.
The linear, one-way nature of the transmission model, likened to a pipeline or an archer blindfolded, emphasizing sent and received messages without feedback.
Critique of the transmission model for lacking feedback and nonverbal communication, a significant weakness for understanding face-to-face communication.
Introduction of the transactional model by Paul Watzlawick in 1967, focusing on interactional features of communication.
Emphasis on meaning being created through interaction in the transactional model, rather than being contained within words.
The transactional model's view of people as simultaneous senders and receivers, integrating nonverbal communication and feedback.
The axiom 'You cannot not communicate' from the transactional model, highlighting the constant sending of messages, intentional or not.
Use of the dance metaphor for the transactional model, illustrating the dynamic, two-way nature of communication and shared meaning creation.
Discussion of context's influence on communication according to the transactional model, shaping interpretation based on setting and environment.
Introduction of the 'Field of Experience' concept, detailing how personal attitudes, beliefs, and values shape message interpretation.
Highlighting content and relationship dynamics in conversations, showing how communication is not just about exchanging information but also establishing relationships.
Introduction of the constitutive model by Robert Craig in 1999, proposing that communication is the primary force that creates our social world.
Craig's argument that communication is not just a tool but the central activity that produces all social forces in society.
Manning's 2014 agreement with Craig's view, stating that communication is a means of creating social reality, not just expressing it.
Comparison to Carl Weick's 1979 view on organizing as an ongoing activity that creates and maintains workplaces, emphasizing the role of communication.
Final thoughts on the importance of understanding the three models for grasping the complexity of communication in various contexts.
Transcripts
- [Narrator] There are various models
of communication, theoretical approaches,
and we are going to unpack three of the main ones
you'll see in most textbooks.
The transmission model of communication,
the transactional model of communication,
and the constitutive model of communication.
(gentle music)
So first the transmission model of communication.
In 1948, Shannon & Weaver published an article
explaining this model.
They were working at Bell Telephone Laboratories
at the time so their approach
really shows that technological angle
on their thoughts.
In other words, they envisioned a sender
or source of information who encodes a message,
let's say into language for example,
then transmits that message through
a channel of some sort.
The message is then decoded on the other end
and received by a receiver.
So it's very reminiscent of the phone system.
So, for example, let's say I send my wife
a voice mail and it says "I'd like to buy a car."
That message goes through the communication system
and it arrives in her voice mail box.
And as soon as she listens to it,
the message has been sent and received.
Noise, however, is another part of this model.
Noise might interfere with the message
at any point along the way.
Maybe in the decoding and the receiving
of the message.
Let's say the message is garbled
or doesn't make sense on the other end
because something's wrong,
there's some static in the line so to speak.
Then that might complicate the communication process.
According to this model, communication has successfully
occurred when a message has been sent and received.
So in that way, it's a linear or one way model.
A lot of people use the pipeline as a metaphor
to describe it because let's say
a pipeline has oil going from one end
all the way and flowing down to the other end.
That communication goes in one direction.
I like to use the metaphor as the archer.
The archer has a bow and arrow
and when he or she releases that arrow,
it either hits the target or it doesn't.
Except in this archer metaphor,
the archer's really blindfolded
because according to this model,
communication has occurred when a message
has been sent and received,
but the archer doesn't necessarily know
when he or she's blindfolded if the arrow
hit the target, but as long as it has
hit the target, then communication has occurred.
So you'll notice there's no feedback
and no nonverbal communication in this model.
That's considered a major weakness to some people
in terms of how we understand face-to-face communication.
It's like a text message, an email,
a voice mail, an old fashioned telegraph
or even a letter in the mail.
You send it but you don't necessarily know
when and if the receiver
has actually received the message.
It goes one way and then as soon as they read that
or decode that message, then communication has occurred.
It's also sometimes called
the container model of communication.
Because the words, according to this model,
are thought to contain the meaning.
Everything you need to know, in other words,
all the meaning is contained in the words.
As all of the examples here illustrate,
this model is very useful for explaining how
information technology works and how communication works
any time you're sending it through some type of
technological communication channel.
As clear limits though, a lot of people criticize it
because it doesn't explain the complexities
and the human dynamics of face-to-face communication well.
The next model is the transactional model of communication
and it compensates for some of the limitations
of Shannon Weaver's one way linear model.
In 1967, Paul Watzlawick and his colleagues
built their model on some previous writings
and looked at the interactional features
of communication and tried to capture that
in their model.
It's sometimes called the Interaction Model.
Right after that, a couple years later,
in 1970, Dean Barnlund published his work
that expressed many of the same ideas
with slightly different wording,
but all of these concepts that were coming about
in 1967 to 1970 were all aligned and so when combined,
most textbooks refer to these models
and this approach as generally as
the transactional view or transactional
model of communication.
It has some key differences from
the Shannon and Weaver model.
This model, the transactional model,
they don't believe that meaning is contained
in the words.
Instead, they think meaning is in people.
Meaning comes about through the interaction.
So the communication process is largely
about creating shared meaning between
and among people.
You don't start out, for example,
understanding other people.
We have to work toward that through communication.
According to this model, people are both
senders and receivers at the same time
so this model integrates nonverbal communication
and feedback.
There's a saying or an axiom that goes with this model.
You cannot not communicate.
And that's another way of saying that you're really
always sending messages of some sort,
whether you realize it or not.
Whether you intend to or not
when you include things
like nonverbal communication of feedback.
You're always giving off some kind of vibe
that the other person is going to be picking up on.
So seven archer, or a pipeline as the metaphor,
this has got much more of a two way dynamic
feel to it and so I prefer the metaphor
of a dance, where you're dancing with a partner.
Where each communicator is learning the steps
from the other person as they go simultaneously.
And when it's done, they have reached
some similar understanding, some similar meaning,
for what they are trying to do in that dance.
And a lot of conversations are like that.
There's a back and forth,
there's a simultaneousness to it where you're
figuring out what you mean as you go along.
So once again, if I say I'd like to buy a car
and let's assume I am face-to-face this time
in the conversation with my wife,
we would have a back and forth discussion
about what exactly that meant and what kind
of car was I picturing and what kind of car
might she be picturing and hopefully,
if it goes well, at the end of that conversation,
we have reached some sense of shared meaning,
a type of meaning agreement about
what we mean when we say we'd like to buy a car.
This model has some other features
that add on to the Shannon and Weaver foundation.
For example, context shapes the way we process
this communication in every way.
If we're in a work setting versus
a private one-on-one setting.
If we're in a big crowd of people,
all those contextual features are going
to shape and influence the communication process.
According to the transactional model,
we also arrive at these interactions
with what we call a Field of Experience.
Each communicator has attitudes, beliefs,
values and psychological influences
that shape and form the interpretation
of our messages.
We look at the nonverbal and verbal cues
and because of all of those attitudes
and beliefs, we are making sense of them.
We are interpreting them in certain ways.
For me, this shows how the decoding
of messages as Shannon and Weaver called it,
is much more sophisticated and layered
than simply figuring out what the words mean.
You're reading the signals very carefully
and understanding things from a certain
point of view.
You're filtering everything you hear and see
through your field of experience.
According to this model, there's also
content and relationship dynamics at play
in a conversation so there's content
that we're exchanging.
That information that we're sharing back and forth.
But our communication also has
relationship dynamics to it as well.
Our tone of voice, our pace,
how we're looking at the other person.
We're all looking for certain cues
in a conversation.
We all see ourselves a certain way.
We all see the other person a certain way
and so we can read between the lines
and it's not just the content.
There's also that relationship dynamic
that gets established.
So most people agree that the transactional model
of communication's much better at capturing
the face-to-face realities of human relationships
and it makes up for a lot of the shortfalls
of the Shannon and Weaver model.
The third model we'll look at
is the constitutive model,
or the constitutive theory of communication.
In 1999, Robert Craig wrote an article
in the journal called Communication Theory
where he explained that communication is constitutive.
In other words, communication creates.
It produces our social world.
Robert Craig sees communication as
the driving force in our lives and our relationships.
Craig talks about how communication
is the central activity in our lives
that creates all other social forces in society.
He states, "communication is no secondary
phenomenon that can be explained by antecedent
psychological, sociological, cultural,
or economic factors; rather, communication itself
is the primary constitutive social process
that explains all of these factors.
Manning in 2014 had much the same view.
He said, "communication is not a mere tool
for expressing social reality,
but also a means of creating it."
This reminds me of something that Carl Weick said
a couple of decades earlier in 1979
when he wrote his book about organizing.
He said the word organization was too static
of a term to describe what's happening
in our workplaces.
Instead, he favored the term organizing
because he thought it captured that activity
that went into creating, establishing,
and maintaining our workplaces.
The concrete buildings and the brands
that we all know, didn't already exist.
They are the result of ongoing communication.
In fact, if we stopped interacting,
if we stopped communicating, stopped picking
up the phone, stopped going to meetings,
stopped making agreements, life
and organization would grind to a complete halt.
So in the same way, Robert Craig says
the economics, the social structures,
the psychological features of our social world
were established in the first place
by communication processes.
So communication constituted, or formed,
our society, our relationships and our lives.
So these three models, the transmission model,
the transactional model and the constitutive theory
of communication all have their own emphases.
They all shed light on different aspects
and take a different view of communication.
A better understanding of these three models,
especially in the ways they compare
and contrast will help you understand
the readings that you're doing
and the other kinds of research that you are exploring.
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