Roland Tandaju

September 3, 2017

Transactional Model of Communication

Situation: Uncle Bob - Jack. At Jacks 8th birthday party, Uncle Bob meets Jack face to face and
gets him a toy airplane that he wanted for a very long time.
Environment: Jacks party filled with many other children.

(noise)/(noise)

Happy
Birthday
Jackie boy!!
Enjoy your
gift!!
Thank you
(Feedb
for the
ack)
airplane
Uncle Bob!!
(Chan
nel)
(Mess
age)
(Sender/rece (Receiver/Se
iver) nder)

1. Describe (show evidence) how your model reflects the elements in the communication
process.
Sender: (The original person who creates the message) - Uncle Bob
Encoding: (The process of the senders thoughts, symbols, words, or expressions) - Happy
emotions, glad to see his nephew.
Message: (The word(s) or nonverbal behavior that gets sent to the receiver) - Uncle Bob tells
Jack, Happy Birthday!! This present is for you kiddo. Have fun!
Receiver: (Person who gets the message) - Jack
Decoding: (Receiver puts meaning into the message; understands the message) - Jacks eyes
open wide because he is excited about his gift.
Channel: (The way the message goes from sender to receiver) - Verbal communication, face to
face.
Noise: (External, physical, psychological interference that distracts the message) - The other
children at the party are playing, laughing and making a lot of sounds in the background.
Feedback: (The receivers response) - Jack opens the present and says, Thank you Uncle Bob!!
Sender: Jack
Encoding/Response: Jacks excited and is ready to give his uncle a hug.
Decoding/Response: Uncle Bob says, youre welcome, and accepts the hug.
Receiver: Uncle Bob

In this communication process for the transactional model, the sending and receiving of
communications is simultaneous as it goes both ways at the same time. This model is continuous
and goes on until someone ends the conversation. This irreversible process of sending and
receiving messages can go back and forth.

2. Explain the relevance of the context in which the communication situation unfolds and how
understanding by the parties involved is impacted.

The context of the communication situation is very important because there can be a time where
the noise interrupts the channel. If the channel is interrupted, then the message can be
misunderstood or miscommunicated. In the scenario there was some noise in the background but
the original receiver (Jack) was able to listen to the sender (Uncle Bob). Even if Jack was not
able to hear the message, he would be able to visually see the message which is also Jacks
present.

3. Express your own perspective as to why and how communication takes place.

In my opinion, communication is essential in life. We communicate because we want to socialize

and interact with other people. People need to communicate because we would be able to learn,
share and exchange feelings or thoughts about something. We can send messages and share
meaning verbally, nonverbally, or even through symbols.

4. What challenges to the communication process can you identify in your particular context?

The challenges in the communication process can come from noise. This is identified as external
interruptions or distractions that can cause the message to not be received properly. Noise can
also be physical or psychological where the one of the people may be too shy or scared to send
the message across. Uncle Bob could have been afraid to give him the message because maybe
he no longer likes the toy airplane. In this scenario, Jack loved the gift and was very happy.
5. What conclusions can you draw from the case you have designed in relations to
communication as a process and the function of all the elements?

Communication involves two or more people. This model conveys that communication is
simultaneous as the sender and receiver goes both ways. There are many types of
communication. For example, you can communicate face to face, through the phone, email and
many other ways. All elements of communication can still be applied to different ways of
communication. Whatever way you may communicate, there will always be simultaneous
sending and receiving of messages. Feedback will always come from the receiver which will
then become a new encoded message.