16/10/2020
COMMUNICATION MODELS
Model
The origin of the word ‘Model’ could be traced to the French word modèle;
Italian Modello, diminutive of modo, form & Latin modus, measure, standard.
A model is widely used to depict any idea, thought, or concept in a simpler way through diagrams, pictorial representations, etc. Models go a long way in making the understanding of any concept easy & clear. Through a model, one can easily understand a process & draw conclusions from it. In simpler words, a model makes the learning simple. The model refers to the representation/replica of the original. A model is thus a schematic description of a system, theory, or phenomenon that accounts for its known or inferred properties & may be used for further study of its characteristics.
Communication models are systematic representations of the process which helps in understanding how communication works can be done. Models show the process metaphorically and in symbols. They form general perspectives on communication by breaking communication from complex to simple & keeps the components in order. Communication models can sometimes encourage traditional thinking & stereotyping but can also omit some major aspects of human communication.
Methods & channels of communication to be used & the purpose of communication must be considered before choosing a specific communication model. Models are used by business companies & other firms to foster their communication, explore their options & evaluate their own situations. It is also used to understand how the receivers will interpret the message.
Some media scholar's definitions...
“Any representation of a system, whether in words or diagrams, is a model”
-Baran and Davis (1995)
"A model is a representation of a real-world phenomenon, in more abstract terms which can be applied to different forms at different times"
-Narula
"Models are drawings, charts, diagrams, pictograms, schematics used to represent complex ideas (theories) to a graphic form." -Stone et al.