How the Communication Context or Noise Can Impact on Effective Communication

The model of communication represents the process of communicating from the sender to receiver. The early models of communication were concerned primarily with the political influence over the press, films and radio. The models were simple; sender - channel - message - receiver. In time, modifications on the model happened and the concept of feedback and interpretation was added.

The models of communication are broadly divided into three models: linear, interactive, and transaction model. Example of the linear model includes the Aristotelian and Shannon and Weaver models. The Aristotelian model of communication is a simple process that involves speaker to delivering the argument thru speaking. The noise and other distractions are not considered in the model. Noise is not yet considered as part of the communication process. During those times speech is popular in the public events and as illustrated in this model, the speaker would deliver his/her argument and speech to the listener. It does not account factors like noise in the public area and interruptions which are beyond the speaker's control (Models of Communication, nd).

The Shannon-Weaver model is another linear type of communication model. The main idea of the model is to have successful encoding and decoding in the communication process. First, the information or the message is transmitted from the source to the receiver through a certain channel with physical, semantic, physiological and psychological noise considered. The forms of communication noise include semantic, physical, psychological and physiological noise. The semantic noise is the most common and difficult to define among the various forms of noise mentioned. It is a certain diction that leads to confusion or misinterpretation of the message. It is also the type of noise that can be easily extended to a written language. The physical noise is a result from the external or environmental stimulus that distracts the receiver from getting the clear message from the sender. The psychological noise is a result of notions we have during conversations like the racial stereotypes, biases, reputations and other assumptions. The physiological noise is the body or physical factor that influences the communication process. It includes the way feelings and movements affect the sender and receiver (Rothwell, 2004).

In the process, the verbal and non-verbal cues are communicated from the sender to the receiver. First, the source sends in the message. Then, the message is delivered with some distortions like noise and other environmental considerations. The message will then be decoded into a meaning by the receiver. Both sender and receiver have the responsibility to ensure the success of the communication process by re-asking for clarification if the message is not clearly understood. In the email analogy, the sender will send a message thru email to the receiver. The noise maybe one of the factors: semantic, physical, psychological and physiological. For example, if the receiver cannot check his/her emails because of interruptions from the external environment, then the noise is said to be physical. If however, he/she has body concerns that are why he/she cannot check the emails, then the noise is physiological.

The next model, Interactive model, the message is sent by the sender to the receiver thru a channel and the receiver would in return give feedback to the sender. The key features of this model are the presence of feedback, personal fields of experience and some limitations. The field of experience relates the sender to the receiver (Models of Communication, nd).

The noise in this communication models influence effective communication in terms of interpretation of the conversation. If overlooked, the noise will greatly affect the perception and interaction of the sender and receiver. Again, the forms of communication noise which include semantic, physical, psychological and physiological noise are considered in the model.

The transaction model departs from the linear view of communication and states that interpersonal communication is a dynamic and process-oriented activity wherein the two participants are sending and receiving messages simultaneously. The transactional view of public relations is presented to gain an understanding rather than persuading the receiver. This model also acknowledges the process of communication by joining two participants in a relationship that is more that the sum of its parts. It also includes the verbal and non-verbal elements as factors that influence the transaction. The unique feature of this model is the presence of the past field of experiences of both sender and receiver and the negotiated meanings of the message (Models of Communication, nd). Further, the transactional model views behavior as potentially meaningful to others, whether it is intended or not. This is important because we do not necessarily communicate when we attempt to do so and when we do not attempt to. This model also sees human communication as a conveyor belt of which messages are traded. The thesis of this model is that communication is a dynamic, process-oriented, and meaning-creating relationship between the two participating parties.

The shaded area, the shared field of experience, is the area where the sender and receiver share knowledge on certain information. The communication noise given in this model is similar to the noise given in the above models. These shared experiences can influence the content of the message as well as its delivery.

The models have evolved through time but the goals of the models remain the same. The model aims to present the communication process to inform the participants of the factors that can influence it to be able to generate solutions that can improve the communication process. Effective communication lies on the solutions on how to best communicate with other people and be responded and understood by them.

Sources:

Models of Communication. Retrieved on 26 February 2008 at [http://www.commarts.wisc.edu/Fac/Garlough/Lectures/CA260LectureTwoModels.ppt]

Rothwell, D. J. In the Company of Others: An Introduction to Communication. New York: McGraw Hill, 2004