4S’s of Communication, Communication Models and Communication Process and Learners’ Learning Styles

4S’s of Communication

   1.   Shortness: - It is often said that “Brevity is the soul of wit.”. The same can be said about communication. If the message can be made brief, then transmission and comprehension of messages is going to be faster and more effective. Flooding messages with high sounding words does not create an impact. Often, the receiver has spent a major chunk of his time in trying to decipher the actual meaning of the message.

   2.   Simplicity: - Simplicity both in the usage of words and ideas reveals clarity in the thinking process. Using simple terminology and equally simple concepts would help.

   3.   Strength: - The strength of a message emanates from the credibility of the sender. If the sender himself believes in a message that he is about to transmit, there is bound to be strength and conviction in whatever he tries to state. Half-hearted statements or utterances that the sender himself does not believe in adds a touch of falsehood to the entire communication process.

   4.   Sincerity: - A sincere approach to an issue is clear to the receiver. If the sender is genuine, it will be reflected in the way he communicates.

Communication Models

           Models of communication refers to the conceptual model on basic conception of communication as the process of sending and receiving messages or transferring information from one part (sender) to another (receiver).

            

           We will discuss three models of communication and their implications for classroom instruction.

           • Linear model

           • Interactive model

• Transactional model

Communication Models (Interactive)

·      Linear model is flawed because it depicts communication as a one-way process where:

  Ø  speakers only speak and never listen.

  Ø  listeners listen and never speak or send messages.

·    Schramm (1955) developed an interactive model that saw the receiver or listener providing feedback to the sender or speaker.

·        The speaker or sender of the message also listens to the feedback given by the receiver or listener.

·        Both the speaker and the listener take turns to speak and listen to each other.

·        Feedback is given either verbally or non-verbally, or in both ways.

·      The speaker and listener communicate better if they have common fields of experience which overlap

Communication Models (Transactional)

·  The drawback in the interactive model is that it does not indicate that communicators can both send and receive messages simultaneously and fails to show that communication is a dynamic process.

·        The transactional model (Wood, 2009) shows that the elements in communication are interdependent.

·        Each person in the communication act is both a speaker and a listener and can be simultaneously sending and receiving messages.

Communication Process and Learners’ Learning Styles

           Since communication is aimed at ensuring students’ learning then their learning preferences should inform classroom communication. Students’ preferred learning modes:

           • Will impact on information that is accessed through classroom communication as it assists in their levels of comprehension, motivation, and meta-cognition.

           • Have significant influence on their behaviour and learning.

           • Should be matched with appropriate learning strategies.

           The Neil Fleming’s VARK (visual, auditory, reading/writing, and Kinaesthetic had been used to classify students.