Corporate communication can be internal or external. There are several models, including Shannon and Weaver’s, Lasswell’s, and Berlo’s five senses model. These models focus on the origin, format, message, channel, and interpretation of communication, and emphasize the importance of clear messaging and avoiding inaccurate interpretations.
Corporate communications take the form of internal or external communications. Internal communications occur between colleagues or managers and staff, while external communications occur between the company and its customers, suppliers and media. There are several models of corporate communication, based on theories presented by communication experts over the years. These include Shannon and Weaver’s model, Newcomb’s Lasswell model, and Berlo’s five senses model.
Shannon and Weaver came up with one of the most common models of business communication, dating back to 1948 when Claude Elwood Shannon and Warren Weaver wrote a book on the mathematical approach to communication. The model is based on the assumption that eight key elements are needed to enable communication. These include the origin of the message, the encoding or format of the message, the message itself, and the channel through which the message is transmitted. There may be noise or interference that can distort the message before or as it reaches the recipient or intended person. The recipient then attempts decryption of the message, and once feedback is provided, the loop is closed and communication has occurred.
One of the simplest models of business communication was identified by political scientist Harold Lasswell in the 1940s and is widely adopted in the business world. The model describes a process consisting of four components, which are the speaker, the subject, the listener and the channel. Lasswell’s theory was that, in order to have real communication, it had to produce an effect, and this is summed up in the widely quoted phrase “Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect”. This is especially relevant in the corporate environment, where staff briefings are the order of the day and where communication skills play an important role.
Newcomb’s model of communication focuses on the social purpose of communication and how it supports relationships between people. Show the message as less important than the interaction between the sender and the recipient. One of the most common models of business communication, Newcomb’s model is seen more in the informal methods of communication used in small businesses, rather than the business talk found in large corporations.
More complex models of business communication include the theory presented by David K Berlo, which takes into account the importance of the five senses in the process. Berlo believed that the meaning of communication was not present in the message, but in the recipient’s interpretation of the message. Interpretation is influenced by the presence of the five senses, which help the recipient identify nuances of meaning. This model influences corporate communications by emphasizing the need to be very clear about the message and to use established communication techniques, in order to avoid inaccurate interpretations that could lead to costly mistakes.
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