Communication
Academically defined, communication is an "information-related behavior that is a necessary life process." There are three settings for this art: interpersonal, machine-assisted and mass. While each setting is experienced by we humans daily, each has its own traits.Interpersonal communication is a meeting, a brainstorm session or an argument (to name a few). It is the communication that started communication. That's a rather broad statement, but I believe it to be true. The face to face interaction between peers and strangers is what makes this world so interesting.
Machine-assisted communication made Alexander Graham Bell a rich man. When I started with my current company, my role was in a sales capacity. Each day was spent making phone calls to customers, both current and potential in order to advertise and promote our services. These days, machine-assisted communication means more than dialing a number and saying "hello." E-mail, text messaging, instant messaging and web-conferencing are all perfect examples of machine-assisted communication.
The third, mass communication, while consistently refined through the ages, has been around at least since Moses led his people through Egypt. Mass communication in the form of propaganda activated a nation during World War II, united a country after 9/11 and today, gives us our daily dose of celebrity gossip. Mass communication speaks to the crowd and elicits emotion and opinion from those it reaches.
The Models
Through the years, a number of influential theorists have formulated their own models of communication. As we have evolved as a species, so to have our means of communication.
Harold Lasswell's Model (1948)
Lasswell's model originated from the aforementioned propaganda in WWII. The model, while basic, defined the communication standards of the day. As a journalism undergrad, the similarities to the Five W's (who, what, when, where, why) were striking. Lasswell's model began with the "who," or in this case, a speaker. The speaker transmitted the "what" (the message) through a channel or medium and the end result was the delivery of the message to the audience, prompting a reaction.
In the case of WWII, the "who" was our government, the "what" was to join the army, the channel was the radio or pamphlets falling from the sky, and the "whom" was the American people. The intended result was the American people taking action to either join the army or support the war by any means necessary.
Shannon & Weaver's Model (1949)
Shannon & Weaver were mathematicians at Bell Laboratories when they developed a new model. This model (linked above) magnified Lasswell's brainchild. Shannon & Weaver believed communication to be "information to reduce uncertainty." The new form incorporated an idea known as "noise," or the internal and external barriers challenging sound communication. The two believed in redundancy to reinforce points when faced with the noise. Also, Shannon & Lasswell were the first to acknowledge information as a key characteristic and the first to introduce communication to academics.
Wilbur Schramm's Model (1954)
model two
Schramm introduced three models of communication in succession, each of which elaborated on the former. His first method involved a source sending a message through an encoder, which would deliver it to a signal, a decoder would take the information and present it to the destination. Utterly confused yet? The information passed from the source is packaged and delivered and then dolled up into lay man's terms before reaching its destination. The second model incorporated overlapping fields of experience. The signal is where the two fields are familiar with one another. The third model was the first to introduce feedback into the equation. The overlapping fields were replaced with two separate entities that would relate back and forth to one another through the use of feedback.
Katz & Lazarsfeld Model (1955)
Katz & Lazarsfeld were political scientists who were the first to include mass communication in a model. At the time, radio and print were emerging as the most effective means of mass media advertising. The message would be delivered through mass media to an "opinion leader," who would present the message to the public. This created an interpersonal addition to the previous models.
Westley-MacLean Model
Westley and MacLean believed that the communication process starts with an advocate. That is, events occur and are taken by an advocate and presented through a channel to the audience. The audience in turn gives feedback to the advocate. Some events are so large in scope that they do not need an advocate.
This model is especially evident in my day to day job functions. My current position involves supporting and training users on a new computer system. When a new feature is added (the event) it is my task to advocate these changes through the appropriate channels in order to reach my audience in the most effective manner. I receive feedback on many levels. Some understand the training while some do not. Others appreciate the benefits of the new system and some resist it. But the inclusion of the interpersonal communication between the advocate and the audience in this model is what makes it so effective.
Kincaid's Convergence Model (1979)
Kincaid's model determined that communication is more than just a model of definite outcomes. His take is that communication is a process that is cyclical and evolving over time. There is no singular event with communication and as information changes, so does the means to communicate.
As I mentioned earlier, my original position with my company was in sales. I had a supervisor, colleauges and clients. Now that I am out of sales, my spot on the organizational hierarchy has changed. I am on the same level in the organization as my old supervisor. Our communication has changed. Where once we worked together to better our department, we now work together on a larger scale to better the company as a whole. As our professional relationship evolves, we will no doubt find new ways to communicate with one another as our experience with our respective temperaments and ideals matures.
Harold Lasswell's Model (1948)
Lasswell's model originated from the aforementioned propaganda in WWII. The model, while basic, defined the communication standards of the day. As a journalism undergrad, the similarities to the Five W's (who, what, when, where, why) were striking. Lasswell's model began with the "who," or in this case, a speaker. The speaker transmitted the "what" (the message) through a channel or medium and the end result was the delivery of the message to the audience, prompting a reaction.
In the case of WWII, the "who" was our government, the "what" was to join the army, the channel was the radio or pamphlets falling from the sky, and the "whom" was the American people. The intended result was the American people taking action to either join the army or support the war by any means necessary.
Shannon & Weaver's Model (1949)
Shannon & Weaver were mathematicians at Bell Laboratories when they developed a new model. This model (linked above) magnified Lasswell's brainchild. Shannon & Weaver believed communication to be "information to reduce uncertainty." The new form incorporated an idea known as "noise," or the internal and external barriers challenging sound communication. The two believed in redundancy to reinforce points when faced with the noise. Also, Shannon & Lasswell were the first to acknowledge information as a key characteristic and the first to introduce communication to academics.
Wilbur Schramm's Model (1954)
model two
Schramm introduced three models of communication in succession, each of which elaborated on the former. His first method involved a source sending a message through an encoder, which would deliver it to a signal, a decoder would take the information and present it to the destination. Utterly confused yet? The information passed from the source is packaged and delivered and then dolled up into lay man's terms before reaching its destination. The second model incorporated overlapping fields of experience. The signal is where the two fields are familiar with one another. The third model was the first to introduce feedback into the equation. The overlapping fields were replaced with two separate entities that would relate back and forth to one another through the use of feedback.
Katz & Lazarsfeld Model (1955)
Katz & Lazarsfeld were political scientists who were the first to include mass communication in a model. At the time, radio and print were emerging as the most effective means of mass media advertising. The message would be delivered through mass media to an "opinion leader," who would present the message to the public. This created an interpersonal addition to the previous models.
Westley-MacLean Model
Westley and MacLean believed that the communication process starts with an advocate. That is, events occur and are taken by an advocate and presented through a channel to the audience. The audience in turn gives feedback to the advocate. Some events are so large in scope that they do not need an advocate.
This model is especially evident in my day to day job functions. My current position involves supporting and training users on a new computer system. When a new feature is added (the event) it is my task to advocate these changes through the appropriate channels in order to reach my audience in the most effective manner. I receive feedback on many levels. Some understand the training while some do not. Others appreciate the benefits of the new system and some resist it. But the inclusion of the interpersonal communication between the advocate and the audience in this model is what makes it so effective.
Kincaid's Convergence Model (1979)
Kincaid's model determined that communication is more than just a model of definite outcomes. His take is that communication is a process that is cyclical and evolving over time. There is no singular event with communication and as information changes, so does the means to communicate.
As I mentioned earlier, my original position with my company was in sales. I had a supervisor, colleauges and clients. Now that I am out of sales, my spot on the organizational hierarchy has changed. I am on the same level in the organization as my old supervisor. Our communication has changed. Where once we worked together to better our department, we now work together on a larger scale to better the company as a whole. As our professional relationship evolves, we will no doubt find new ways to communicate with one another as our experience with our respective temperaments and ideals matures.
In Conclusion
The various communication models discussed show how our methods have changed throughout the years. Not surprisingly, each new model digs a little deeper than its predecessor. The models, just like business, are constantly evolving. An excellent piece by Business Week discusses how blogs are changing the business world. This is a perfect example of the effect of mass communication.
I would be remiss to not mention the current financial crisis. In closing, here is a clip of Bill Clinton on NBC's Today acting as an advocate to present the crisis and its meaning to a mass audience.
I would be remiss to not mention the current financial crisis. In closing, here is a clip of Bill Clinton on NBC's Today acting as an advocate to present the crisis and its meaning to a mass audience.
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