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Schramm'sModelofCommunication

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BeckersMosaicModelofCommunication
WestleyandMacLeansModelof
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BarnlundsTransactionalModelof
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HelicalModelofCommunication

Schramm'sModelofCommunicationwaspostulatedbyWilburSchrammin1954,wherehe
suggestedthatcommunicationisatwowayprocesswherebothsenderandreceivertaketurns
tosendandreceiveamessage.Themessageisonlysentafterencodingsothesenderisalso
calledEncoderandtheencodedmessageisdecodedunderreceiptbythereceiver,makinghim
theDecoder.ThismodelwasadaptedfromthetheoriesofanothertheoristOsgood,soisalso
knownasOsgoodandSchrammModelofCommunicationorEncodeDecodeModelof
Communication.Osgoodreplacedthelinearmodelofcommunicationwiththecircularprocessof
communicationandSchrammaddedtheconceptoffieldofexperiencetoit.Thismodelis
describedinSchramm'sbook"TheProcessandEffectsofCommunication".

DifferentComponentsofSchramm'sModel

ModelsofCommunication
InteractiveModelofCommunication
LinearModelofCommunication
ShannonandWeaverModelOf
Communication
Aristotle'sModelofCommunication
Berlo'sSMCRModelofCommunication

Schramm'sModelhasdifferentcomponentsforcommunicationswhere
Sender(transmitter)isthepersonwhosendsthemessage.
Encoderisthepersonwhoconvertsthemessagetobesentintocodes.
Decoderisthepersonwhogetstheencodedmessagewhichhasbeensentbytheencoder
andconvertsitintothelanguageunderstandablebytheperson.
Interpreteristhepersonwhotriestounderstandandanalyzethemessage.Messageis
receivedafterinterpretation.Interpreterandreceiveristhesameperson.
Receiveristhepersonwhogetsthemessage.He/shedecodesandinterpretstheactual
message.
Messageisthedatasentbythesenderandinformationthatthereceivergets.
Feedbackistheprocessofrespondingtothereceivedmessagebythereceiver.
Mediumormediaisthechannelusedtosendthemessage.
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Mediumormediaisthechannelusedtosendthemessage.

Noiseistheinterferenceandinterruptionscausedduringtheprocess.Itisalsocreatedwhen
theintendedmeaningofthemessagesentbythesenderandthemeaninginterpretedbythe
receiverisdifferentwhichisknownasSemanticNoise.

HowSchramm'sModelWorks?
Themodelsuggeststhatencodinganddecodingarethetwomostimportantpartofa
communicationprocess.Encodingassumesacriticalpartinstartingtheprocedureof
correspondencebyconvertingdataintoinformation.Encodingisdonebyasender(transmitter)
andsenttoareceiver.Whendatareachestothereceiver,receiverdecodesandinterpretsthe
data.Thisdataiscalledamessage,anditistransmittedthroughamedium.Thismodelshows
howmeaningistransferredfromonepersonorgrouptoanother.Schramm'smodelof
communicationisusedinbothIntrapersonalandInterpersonalcommunication.
Themodeltakescommunicationasaneverendingprocesswhichconstitutesmessagesand
feedbacks.Eachpersonisbothsenderandreceiver,sotheremustbeinterpretationofthe
messageoneachturn.Theinterpreteddataisknownasinformation.Thismakes
communicationeffectivebutmightcauseproblemstooasthemessagesentafterencoding
mightnotbethesamewhendecodedbythereceiver.So,thismodelisnotconventionallike
othermodelsthatonlytalkaboutsenderandreceiver.
Feedbackisalsoaveryimportantcomponentasitletsthesenderknowifthereceiverhas
interpretedthemessageasrequiredornot.Themessagebecomesuselessifthereceiverdoes
notunderstanditmakingfeedbackdifferentthantheexpectedoutcome.Thecommunicationis
incompleteifthereisnofeedback.Deliberatearticulationandpassingonofmessagetoothers
ensurescommunication.Forinstance,Apersonistalkingtosomeonewhodoesnotunderstand
English.Thepersoncodesthemessageandwritesthemessageintheformoflanguage.The
otherpersonwon'tbeabletodecodeitasthepersoncannotunderstandthelanguage.The
feedbackisimmediatelypassedtothesenderacknowledgingthatthereceiverhasn'tinterpreted
themessageasrequiredmakingfeedbackanimportantcomponentinthecommunication.
Schramm'smodelofcommunicationoriginatedfromShannonWeaver'smodelof
communication.TheShannonWeavermodelisamoremathematicalandtechnological,
whereasSchramm'smodelismorepsychological.

ConceptsofSchramm'sCommunicationModel
Schrammbelievedthatthebackgroundoftheindividualwhoisinvolvedplaysanimportantrole
incommunication.Peoplewithvariousknowledge,experienceandculturalpracticesinterpret
messageinadifferentwaythanother.Asenderpassesontheinformationtothereceiver.The
receiverinterpretsitaccordingtohis/herknowledge,experiencesandgivesfeedbacktothe
sender.Themainconceptsbehindhismodelwere

Fieldofexperience
FieldofExperiencearethethingsthatinfluencestheunderstandingandinterpretationof
messagelikeculture,socialbackground,beliefs,experiences,valuesandrules.Samemessage
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canbeinterpreteddifferentlybydifferentpeople.Ifthewordsandsignstheyboth(senderand
receiver)usearecommontheycommunicatemoreefficiently.Forexample,apersonwho
alwayseatswithspoonisinformedthatthathehastoeatwithhandsinthatplace,theperson
willgetoffendedbecausehewillthinkitisimpolitetoeatthatway.Socioculturalgapwillchange
thewayapersoninterpretsthemessage.
[RelatedReading:CulturalBarrierstoCommunication]

Contextoftherelationship
Thepeopleinvolvedmusthavethingsincommontotalkabout.Themessagemustbe
somethingimportanttoboth.Communicationwillbeeasieriftherelationshipbetweenthe
senderandreceiverisclose.Forexample,oldfriendswillhavemanythingstotalkaboutin
comparisontonewonesastheywillhavealargermutualsocialcircle.

Contextofsocialenvironmentinfluencingthefieldofreference
Peoplecommunicateaccordingtothesituationtheyarein.Peopleactandcommunicate
accordingtotheplace,time,reasonandsettingstheyarefacing.Thesamepeoplewillact
differentlywhentheymeetcasuallyorforofficialpurposes.

UseofMetaphors
Metaphorsareusedfromexperiencesanditmakescommunicationeasier.Whenaperson
relatesonethingtoanother,explainingandinterpretingitbecomeseasier.Forexample,when
relatingthecolorbluetosea,thesecondpersoncanformaproperpictureifhe/sheissaidthat
thecoloroftheglassinwhichhe/sheissupposedtodrinkteafromisbluelikesea.

MentalModels
Fieldofexperienceoverlapduetomentalconditioningandsocialconditioningofaperson.

AdvantagesofSchramm'sModelofCommunication
Circularcommunicationgivesopportunitytobothpartiestogivetheiropinion.
Asitisdynamicandeverchangingmodel,itishelpfulingeneralpractice.
Senderandreceiverinterchangesandbothareequallyactive.
Semanticnoiseincludedasaconcepthelpsinunderstandingproblemsthatcanoccurduring
interpretationofmessage.
Feedbackmakesiteasiertoknowifthemessageisinterpretedbythereceiverasintendedor
not.
Conceptofinterpretationmakesthecommunicationeffective.
Fieldofexperience(psychologicaleffect)helpstounderstandthecommunicationprocessin
manyotherwaysthanthetraditionalones..
Conceptofcontextmakestheenvironmentalfactorbeincludedininterpretationofmessage
andbringschangeinthemessagevalue.

DisadvantagesofSchramm'sModelof
Communication
Thismodelcannotdealwithmultiplelevelsofcommunicationandcomplexcommunication
processes.
Therecanonlybetwosourcescommunicating,manysourcescomplicatestheprocessand
themodelcannotbeimplemented.
Messagesentandreceivedmightbeinterpreteddifferentlythanintended.
SubmittedbySnehaMishra
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