Communication models

Communication models are tools and techniques used for the PMI processes to plan communications management and manage communications.

Poor communication is a contributing cause to many project failures.

A communication model identifies the factors that affect whether communications are successful.

Communication models are described in section 10.1.2.4 of the 6th edition of the PMBOK. Most models include

• a sender who creates or "encodes" the message
• the message and how it is sent ("transmitted")
• a receiver who gets or "decodes" the message

The model can also include a feedback message acknowledging or responding to the initial message. By breaking down the components of communication in a model, you can identify the different ways each part can fail. For instance, the sender and receiver need to share a common language for the transmission.

Early models of communication were developed to describe message transmission by the phone company Bell Laboratories. As they considered the sender (speaker) and receiver (listener), they also had to consider the "noise" in the message. That is, the sounds that weren't part of the intended speech. This could be background noice, static on the line, etc. In other modes of communication the noise or interference could be from other sources.

Some of the factors that can create a mismatch between the sender and receiver are identified.

Factor	Example Problems
media	If the message is by email, the sender needs an email address that the receiver uses.
cultural	Any slang used needs to have the same meaning for both sender and receiver.
emotional	Motivational messages need to have the desired effect. Messages should not come across as insulting or cause bad feelings.
professional	The jargon or terminology known and understood correctly by both parties.

Although many of the factors will seem obvious after they are raised, we often assume that communication has happened when it hasn't. For instance, a notice is posted, but it's not seen by most of the intended recipients. Feedback is key to ensuring that the message was received and understood. A speaker may ask if the audience has any questions, and none are raised. So the speaker thinks the message has gotten across. However, the audience may not ask questions because it's time for lunch, or the people who need to ask are so confused they don't even know what to ask, or maybe they think they understand, but the meaning they give to "due soon" is different. Misunderstandings about timing or priorites are common.

Related: conferencing tool, communication methods, interpersonal and team skills

External links

• Wikipedia's article on Models of communication

• 2.2 Communication models. Introduction to Professional Communications. On Open Library Publishing Platform: Pressbooks for Ontario's Postsecondary Educators.
• Models of Communication. Module 1: Introduction to Public Speaking. Principles of Public Speaking on Lumen.