The Interactional Model Of Communication

Communication is a very important part of our lives and interpersonal relations. That is the obvious fact well known by everybody. However, it is not easy to define and to answer the question ‘what is communication?’. Even great scholars and academic teachers have difficulties with defining that term. As a proof of that, in 1970 and 1984 Frank Dance went through 126 published definition of communication, and came to the conclusion that it is impossible to develop a single definition. However, Laura Hahn, Lance Lippert, and Scott Paynton defined communication as the process of using symbols to exchange meaning (2011:4). Another definition of that term was provided on National Joint Committee for the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe

Models of communication

To get the better understanding of communication’s definition, it is necessary to take a look at two models of communication: The Mathematical or Linear Model of Communication and the transactional model of communication (Hahn, Lippert, Paynton 2011:5-6). The mathematical model of communication is a model which makes moves only in one direction, where the sender encodes the message by using a certain channel and the message is decoded by the receiver. Simply saying it is a transportation of a message from one party to another. Watching television is a perfect example of this model. In that case, a receiver is a person who watches television and receives messages from the television program (the source). The second model of communication is the transactional model, where both sides of communication exchange act as both sender and receiver simultaneously, encoding and decoding messages to and from each other at the same time). This model occurs in majority of human communication exchanges. It is crucial for face-to-face conversation. Noise and personal filters always have impact on the outcomes of every communication exchange.

1.2.1. Types of

Symbols are arbitrary representations of thoughts, ideas, emotions, objects, or actions used to encode and decode meaning (Nelson & Kessler Saw, 2002: 28). Let us identify three main qualities of symbols: arbitrary, ambiguous, and abstract. Arbitrary means that symbols do not have direct relationship to the objects or ideas they represents (Duck, 1993:47). The communication is considered as successful when the agreement on the meanings of the used symbols is reached. The verbal symbols are also ambiguous, which means that they have several feasible meanings. The abstract means that ‘words are not material or physical. A certain level of abstraction is inherent in the fact that symbols can only represent objects and ideas. Verbal communication is also rule-governed. This feature stands for the obligation of following agreed-upon rules in order to create sense of the symbols we