In order to fully understand linear communication, we need to also understand the communication process, channels of communication and the other models of communication. Whether you like it or not, they're giving you feedback via their body language. The linear communication model explains the process of one-way communication, whereby a sender transmits a message and a receiver absorbs it. It consists of the sender encoding a message and channeling it to the receiver in the presence of noise. If you are in a managerial position, do you feel like you understand how your employees feel about their assignments, work environment and policies? Cathy Habas specializes in marketing, customer experiences, and behind-the-scenes management. Linear Model of Communication • Source • Encoder • Message • Channel • Decoder • Reciever • Noise • Feedback When you send an email to announce new policy changes, this may seem like it must always take the form of linear communication. Palma, 1993). The sender encodes the message by writing it as an article and then sends it to a specialized channel, such as a printed newspaper. The linear model describes communication as a one-way process. Noise includes distractions that interfere with the message being transferred and received, such as music playing so loudly that the receiver cannot concentrate on the newspaper article. Note that the other two senses, taste and smell, are not common communication methods among people. Understanding several key terms is important in order to follow the model. It's also helpful to consider how linear communication may be used in business settings, and why it may not be the most effective mode to choose. This is especially true if you present by staring at your PowerPoint and fail to notice the visual communication being relayed to you by your audience. Every single time we communicate information, we follow a process. Shannon and Weaver use seven terms to define the model: sender, encoding, decoding, message, channel, receiver and noise, according to Communication Studies. ), The Secret Science of Solving Crossword Puzzles, Racist Phrases to Remove From Your Mental Lexicon. Fact Check: What Power Does the President Really Have Over State Governors? Linear communication is common in the business world. If all you do is get up and talk to a room of people, you may be relying too much on linear communication. If not, think about how you communicate important information to your employees. We can now combine our knowledge of the communication process and the various communication channels to understand models of communication. The linear model doesn't apply to a conversation, because a conversation involves an exchange of messages between sender and receiver. Mr. Khan made call to his assistant “come here I want to see you”. Festival of Sacrifice: The Past and Present of the Islamic Holiday of Eid al-Adha. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Will 5G Impact Our Cell Phone Plans (or Our Health?! Reviewed by: Michelle Seidel, B.Sc., LL.B., MBA. It also … The linear model of communication is an early communication model created by Shannon and Weaver which visualizes the transfer of information as an act being done to the receiver by the sender. Each participant provides verbal and nonverbal feedback to the other person as the conversation continues. Draw backs – the linear model assumes that there is a clear cut beginning and end to communication. The sender is the message creator, such as the writer of a newspaper article. These are differentiated from one another based on whether or not feedback is received at all, and if so, whether or not that feedback is simultaneous. The linear model of communication is an early conceptual model that describes the process of information being transferred in one direction only, from the sender to the receiver.