Transactional Models of Communication Explained

When analyzing communication in a formal setting and looking for ways to improve it, it’s generally required of us to be both focused and comprehensive in order to assess the situation properly.

That’s where transactional communication models come into play.

Transactional models of communication allow us to understand the communication process from various different perspectives and assess communication with much more nuance than we would with traditional communication models.

In this article, we’ll: 

• Explain transactional models of communication, 
• Describe how they are different than other communication models, and 
• Provide examples on how to apply transactional models in different situations.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

Qu'est-ce qu'un modèle de communication ?

Communication models are means of visualizing the communication process, its formative parts, and the results of various kinds of interactions.

Because communication is such a complex process, it can be quite difficult to distinguish between the beginning and the end of a conversation. The goal of communication models is to help us understand this process in a simple way — to gain insight into how communication works as well as where potential problems might arise during the exchange.

With that said, it’s important to note that there are simpler as well as the more complex models of communication.

Simpler communication models are linear and interactive communication models, while the transactional communication models fall into the complex category.

Transactional communication models vs linear communication models

Transactional communication models are detailed and comprehensive theories on the communication process — and they can be viewed as an upgrade to a more basic communication analysis provided by the linear models.

So, before we get to the more complicated transactional communication theories, let’s see how linear models describe communication.

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Linear communication models

Linear communication models are characterized by treating communication as a one-way process.

The main elements in linear communication models are:

• Le canal,
• The sender, and 
• Le destinataire. 

In these theories, the sender (person initiating the interaction) transmits the message (information) via a channel (means of communication). These means of communication include verbal communication, as well as nonverbal, written, and visual communication.

The channel is the medium — which means our messages can be transmitted in the form of speech, writing, nonverbal cues, signs, or similar. 

After going through the channel of communication, the message reaches the receiver, who decodes it in order to understand it.

Some linear models of communication also mention noise as one of the factors that play a major role in this process. Noise represents any distraction element that distorts or shapes the original message in some way.

Noise can include anything from external noise, such as a loud environment while you’re communicating verbally, to internal psychological factors, such as strong emotions that shape the way we perceive a message.

Here’s what a visual representation of linear communication models would look like:

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The most famous linear models of communication include:

• Lasswell’s communication model,
• Aristotle’s communication model, 
• Berlo’s S-M-C-R communication model, and
• The Shannon-Weaver communication model.

Linear communication models are useful when analyzing communication for marketing, sales, PR, and other one-sided communication processes.

However, when a two-way perspective is required, transactional models of communication come in handy.

Modèles de communication transactionnelle 

Compared to linear communication theories, transactional models of communication describe the communication process in much more detail, including all of the nuances that shape both the process and the outcome of any interaction.

Transactional models of communication label the involved parties not as sender and receiver, but as communicators. This important distinction is at the core of these models because, by definition: 

The transactional communication model views communication as a transaction — where interlocutors create the communication process together, influencing both its effectiveness and outcome.

In other words, communication is viewed as a dynamic process where communicators create a shared meaning by individually influencing the communication process in real time.

Transactional communication models are particularly useful when analyzing:

• 1-on-1 meetings,
• Upward communication,
• Downward communication, or
• Any other two-way communication situation.

Unlike linear communication models, which may or may not include noise as a factor, all transactional communication models include noise and understand its importance and effects in any interaction.

Transactional models also include specific factors like social, relational, and cultural contexts, which also play a major role in the communication process.

In addition to this, transactional models showcase exactly how people communicate, create connections, and influence each other.

All in all, these types of communication models best describe the nature of communication as it occurs in real life.

The main components of transactional communication models include:

• Communicators,
• L'encodage,
• Decoding, 
• Le message,
• The channel, and  
• Noise.

Here’s what communication might look like visually, with the transactional model applied:

As mentioned, most of these elements are also contained in linear communication models, with communicators being the main difference. 

Now, let’s explore one of the most comprehensive transactional communication models — Dean Barnlund’s model — and see how this way of viewing communication can help us understand it better.

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Dean Barnlund’s transactional model of communication

Dean Barnlund’s transactional communication model is centered on two-way communication with the main focus on immediate feedback — the way communication often unfolds in real life, especially in a face-to-face context.

This model of communication recognizes that interpersonal communication is a circular process with a multi-layered feedback system in between. 

Both communicators can affect the message being sent and influence the context of the exchange.

The sender and the receiver change their places and roles, but both are equally important. Feedback from the sender is, at the same time, the reply for the receiver.

Both sender and receiver are responsible for the outcome at the same time — and the effectiveness relies on both participants, never only one.

Dean Barnlund’s transactional communication model diagram includes these components:

• Encodage,
• Decoding, 
• Communicateurs,
• The message (with cues, environment, and noise included), and
• Canal.

Although it might seem intimidating at first, this model of communication accentuates the role of cues that shape our messages. In other words, it views communication as an ever-changing, dynamic process.

As shown in the diagram above, Dean Barnlund differentiates between:

• Public cues (environmental cues, physical surroundings, shared environment, etc.) — labeled as Cpu,
• Private cues (communicator’s personal thoughts, background, inner feelings, memories, etc.) — labeled as Cpr, and
• Behavioral cues (verbal and nonverbal behavior like facial expressions, body language, posture, etc.) — labeled as Cbeh. 

All these cues, as well as the environment and noise, are either a part of the message or directly influence it. And, sometimes, it’s hard for the other participant to tell the difference.

Each communicator’s reaction depends on their specific background, experiences, attitudes, beliefs as well as awareness during the exchange.

Barnlund’s transactional communication model works best when applied to:

• Face-to-face interactions between two or more participants, 
• Formal or informal communication situations at work,  
• Voice calls, 
• Various types of meetings, etc.

Now, let’s take a look at the elements of the transactional model of communication and explore specific examples.

Elements and examples of transactional communication

When analyzing communication and the potential obstacles, it’s important to take as many elements into account in order to achieve effective communication in a professional setting. 

The transactional communication model achieves this by including:

• Feedback,
• Le bruit,
• Context,
• Nonverbal cues,
• Active listening, and
• Continuity.

Naturally, all of these elements overlap in real time between two or more communicators. Let’s take a closer look at precisely how this happens.

#1: Feedback

In the context of transactional communication, feedback includes both spoken and unspoken influence between two or more communicators. Feedback is immediate, and subtly changes all of communication through the entirety of its duration.

Feedback can include anything from a verbal response in a face-to-face exchange, to an emoji reaction, to a gesture such as a wink or a nod.

Feedback’s immense value resides as much in its ability to bring people together, as in its potential to create meaningful exchanges and agreements during communication.

Contrary to what some might think, a lack of feedback often doesn’t contribute to the “overall peace”. Depending on the temperament and character of one or more communicators, a lack of feedback could be considered disingenuous or even manipulative. 

This happens because, without sufficient feedback, any unclear or missing information will likely be filled-in with noise or assumptions, which is the perfect recipe for miscommunication.

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#2: Noise

Noise is another important element taken into account in transactional communication models. 

In an ideal case, all physical distractions, stress, аnd misunderstandings are navigated simultaneously, often in real time, ensuring that the point of the conversation is reached.

Of course, this is not always the case. And, in less-than-ideal scenarios is when conflicts and misunderstandings arise.

Noise includes a wide spectrum of possible interruptions or differences, and it represents any interference or workplace distraction that might hinder communication. These communication obstacles stem either from a lack of clear feedback or contextual misalignment.

Types of noise in communication include:

• Physical noise. This refers to any distracting external or environmental stimulus, such as: loud construction work, crowd noise in a coffee shop, or even bad handwriting (for written communication),
• Physiological Noise. This type of noise refers to biological factors such as: mumbling or speaking too quickly, an accent or dialect difficult to understand, or feeling unwell in a way that affects concentration.
• Psychological Noise. This relates to prejudice or bias, closed-mindedness or refusing to consider a different perspective, or emotional states that color how a message is received (anger, sadness, excitement, etc).
• Semantic Noise. Examples include: using complex terminology with a person unfamiliar with context or meaning, ambiguous or poorly constructed sentences, using an inside joke or unfamiliar slang.

Although noise may be a difficult obstacle, staying focused on the primary goal of the exchange is the prerequisite for successful communication.

With that said, let’s see how context shapes our understanding of the message.

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#3: Context

Leaning directly on feedback and noise, transactional model of communication also takes into account:

• Social context,
• Physical context, and
• Cultural context.

All of these circumstances shape how we perceive the message.

For example, a communicator’s behavior will most likely be different in a formal setting, compared to a less formal one. What’s more, presence of a person of importance or a notoriously “difficult” person in a room could also heavily impact the communication process for one or multiple people.

All these examples may fall under the psychological or physical influences that can alter the interaction substantially — and all of them make up the broader context (combining all 3 subtypes).

Of course, these influences can affect not only a single interaction, but also a series of different interactions. Multiple encounters often shape the stance of the people involved, the way each interlocutor presents their feedback, and how cooperative they are on an individual or group level.

Looking at communication from a transactional perspective means assessing the vast influences that change communication in real time, be it in subtle or less subtle ways.

Should any friction arise, the person in charge of communication should be able to take into account all the possible variables in order to improve all future interactions.

Let’s look at an example.

Jason is having trouble accessing a website important for his work. With a reputation of requiring multiple refreshers before taking something in, his colleagues are slow to respond, likely due to frustration with his frequent questions. Their manager Yasmeen steps in and defuses the problem by addressing both the lack of response from the team as well as Jason’s forgetfulness at the same time, thus balancing things out.

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#4: Nonverbal cues

Nonverbal cues are one of the elements we might not be aware of on the surface level, but can profoundly affect both face-to-face conversations and video conferences.

Eye contact, body language, and tone of voice are one of the most critical nonverbal elements that shape how a conversation feels, flows, and sometimes even greatly influence its outcome, especially when persuasion is at the core of an interaction.

For example, avoiding eye contact will often be perceived as deceptive, while an open posture and confident eye contact will generally be perceived as genuine and trustworthy.

#5: Active listening

In the context of transactional communication, active listening is a key component because it’s directly connected to the process as the model describes it.

This communication skill involves anticipating different cues within yourself and your interlocutor in order to reach a mutually desired outcome.

Active listening involves: 

• Participation in a conversation, 
• Remembering important details, 
• Addressing the core of the issue or multiple issues at hand, and 
• Refraining from judgement.

It requires a set of different conversational skills like paralinguistics, self-awareness, social awareness, empathy, critical thinking, memory retention, and many more.

In the context of transactional communication models, we can safely say that active listening is the practical application of all the concepts described within this model.

The vast set of skills that make up active listening is something that should be worked on and refined constantly — but keeping this broad concept in mind and applying it diligently will certainly make you a much better communicator in both casual and formal conversations.

#6: Continuity

Transactional communication takes into account follow-ups, feedback loops, and ongoing conversations. Long-term relationships and trust often stem from multiple encounters rather than just one interaction — which is something that is recognized by this model.

Continuity emphasizes that communication is a process that not only includes the aforementioned elements, but also generates new contexts, relationships and meanings.

Unlike the linear models where information is transmitted from one source to another, the transactional communication model underlines that communication helps us construct new realities, form bonds, shape concepts, create alliances and influence both each other, as well as the world around us.

This is what being “the sender and the receiver” at the same time as a communicator actually means — every conversation is a two-way street in which the sum of many inconspicuous parts forms a larger and more meaningful whole.

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Benefits of the transactional model for effective communication

In this context, switching to transactional communication models would mean adapting your understanding of communication and applying this model to your circumstances, in order to improve communication.

Why would you want to do something like this? Here’s why.

Benefit #1: Communication is viewed through a real-life lens

If you’re having any doubts about the communication in your immediate team, the transactional approach to communication analysis is the way to go.

By using this model, you’ll be able to quickly spot the “bottlenecks” in the communication process in most interactions you witness.

Is someone completely missing an obvious communication cue? Is someone not providing immediate constructive feedback during a conversation? You’ll be quick to pick up on all of these obstacles through the transactional lens.

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Benefit #2: Transactional approach makes your team stronger

Since this model emphasizes the immediate response and context, you’ll be able to get to the bottom of any communication problem.

Is the noise affecting an interaction too much? Maybe there are some things that are being assumed or deliberately held back that should be spoken out loud. Promoting this inspires immediate communication feedback — which is the first step towards constructive feedback in the whole team.

Improved feedback in your team will shorten, simplify, and improve the communication process. With an improved communication process, cooperation becomes much easier. With simplified cooperation, the job is done more effectively.

The sum of all these inconspicuous parts? A much stronger team.

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Benefit #3: Misunderstandings are resolved more easily

With the transactional communication model, communication mistakes are mitigated, which makes it easier to resolve conflicts in teams.

Imagine everyone in your immediate team being aware of the transactional model of communication and its approach. How would a person with the knowledge of various types of context, noise, feedback, and verbal or nonverbal cues communicate, as opposed to someone not familiar with any of these concepts?

With proper motivation — potentially staggeringly different.

Furthermore, because the transactional approach to communication encourages immediate feedback, awareness, and empathy, this model fosters effective team dynamics and reduces the chances of catastrophic conflict and miscommunication.

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Fostering transactional communication with Pumble

In order to foster a transactional approach to communication, your best bet would be to acquire an all-encompassing tool that will allow you to assess communication from various perspectives.

That’s where Pumble comes in.

Pumble is an all-in-one communication tool for professionals, designed to simplify the communication processes and boost collaboration and productivity.

With the right approach, transactional communication can be fostered through the following Pumble features:

• Video conferencing — to keep track of multiple participants and their cues more easily,
• Meeting recording — to revisit your meetings and assess potential communication problems,
• Private and public channels — to reduce the effects of noise by notifying all relevant people simultaneously,
• Search — to quickly navigate conversations and find info or shared files without asking multiple times.

These and many more features, combined with the right strategy and mindset, are guaranteed to transform the communication in your workplace.

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