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The Linear Model of Communication: Awkward Silence The cartoon above shows four people standing in an elevator, which can sometimes be awkward. They all seem to be in an uncomfortable situation which can be seen in their facial expressions. In the Linear Model of Communication, communication moves in one direction, from the sender to the receiver. If that was true, communication between people would lead to an awkward silence. Thus, the transactional model of communication makes more sense, which states that the parties are both senders and receivers and exchange information simultaneously. In the linear model of communication, noise or sounds that are outside of the communication between two parties is there to interfere with the sending or receiving of the message. Although,  noise could be used to add to the conversation between two people. Therefore, I believe the transactional model of communication is the better definition. Noise could be used by both parties to add to the conversation. Additionally, instead of the receiver misinterpreting information like in the linear model, in the transactional model there shouldn’t be any miscommunication. The idea that both parties are senders and receivers should allow both parties to ask for clarification. Everyone has experienced an awkward silence, especially when meeting someone new. Now, whenever I’m in an awkward silence, I’ll think of the Linear Model of Communication and decide to use the “noise” to restart the conversati […] “The Linear Model of Communication: Awkward Silence”