Westley and MacLean’s Model of Communication-1957

Westley and MacLean’s model of communication

is proposed by  Bruce Westley and Malcolm S. MacLean.

Westley served as a teacher at the University of Wisconsin,Malcolm was director of University of Journalism School and co founder of the University College at University of Minnesota.

This theory can be work under two contexts,they are Interpersonal and Mass communication. 

Model:

1, X2, X3 and X4….—are news articles or information, Feedback (f), Clients (A), Reader or Audience (B) and Gate Keeper (c)

Westely and Maclean realized that communication begins only when a person receives message from surroundings.

This model considers a strong relation between responds from surroundings and the process of communication.

Each receiver responds to the message they received based on their object of orientation.

·         Source (A) – Source is the message creator and sender

·         Environment (X) – Environment is the physical and psychological situation where the message is being created and sent.

·         Sensory experience (X1…) – Sensory experience is the first thing that the source sees by which the source gets the idea for the formation of the message.

·         Objects of Orientation (X1, X2,…) – Objects of orientation is the person’s social and cultural reality that has formed from his/her past experiences and teachings.

·         Message Interpretation or Coding (X’) – Message is interpreted with the objects of orientation of the receiver of the message.

·         Receiver (B) – The person who gets the message sent by the source and the person who interprets according to his/her objects of orientation.

·         Object of Orientation of Receiver (X, b) – The views and ideas of the receiver or his/her social reality is his/her object of orientation. That is how the receiver interprets the message.

·         Feedback (f) – The receiver forms another message after interpreting the message and sends it back to the sender. It is known as feedback.

Example: A Daily News Papers will receive many Press releases from Many Public Relations Agencies on behalf of their clients. In this case, News paper will publish the selected Press release due to the space constraints. Then, Readers can directly respond to the client or they can respond to the News daily which published in the Newspaper. If Readers responded to daily News paper, it will communicate the feedback to concern PR Agency. X1, X2 and X3—are Press Release, Feedback (f), Clients (A), Reader (B) and Daily News Paper (Gate Keeper) (c) 1. Feedback Loop between Reader (B) and News Paper (C) – fBC 2. Feedback Loop between News Paper(C ) and Client (A)- fCA 3. Feedback loop between Reader (B) and Client (A)- fBA

Example:

Advertisement  given thro Television

A Television will receive many advertisement from their clients.

In this case, Television will broadcast the selected advertisement due to the time constraints.

Then, viewers can directly respond to the client or they can respond to the television which broadcast in the television.

If viewer responded to television, it will communicate the feedback to client./agency

X1, X2 and X3—are advertisement, Feedback (f), agency (A), Reader (B) and television/media (Gate Keeper) ©

Merits

1. This model accounts for Feedback.
2. It can account for both interpersonal communication and Mass communication.
3. It is a predictive model of communication and very descriptive also.
4. Westley and Maclean communication model is Two Dimensional.

Demerits

It cannot account for multi dimensions; this means this model will not be applicable for  typical communication events that involve broader context and wide range of communication messages.