The Sender-Receiver Model and the Targeting Process.

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21

Advertising; Audience Analysis; Communication Research; Communication Skills; Credibility; Feedback; Higher Education; Models; Public Relations; Teaching Methods

The goal of this paper is to describe how one classroom teacher uses the Sender-Receiver Communications Model to illustrate for students in a lively and memorable way the process of "targeting your audience" with medium and message. Students are used as examples of Receivers, or target audience, illustrating the potential range of characteristics (age, ethnicity, attitudes, etc.) and how instructors, as Senders, use these factors to shape communication with students. In this context, the need for demographic and psychographic research becomes clear. Next, the use of research to determine the choice of medium--the vehicle on which a message is delivered, such as radio, posters, or tee shirts--is discussed, noting the key factors of reception and credibility which influence audience preference. Many factors also affect the credibility of the Sender, including intentions, trustworthiness, and expertise, as perceived by the target audience. Several factors which can contribute to a failure to communicate are illustrated in the model. Entropy, or the tendency for matter to tend toward disorder, contributes to miscommunication through typos, misspellings, and other fact errors. The "Gatekeeper" (the person--for example, an editor--who decides whether a message will appear in the medium) is another important facet of the model, as are the elements of feedback and environment. After presenting the model, an exercise is assigned to students to reinforce how this information can be used in communication efforts. (Six figures--the sender-receiver communications model and five photocopied public service advertisements--are appended.) (MM)

1988

ED296403