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Dance's Helical Model of Communication

Frank Dance proposed the helical model of communication in 1967 to depict communication as a dynamic and non-linear process. The model is shaped like a helix or spiral, beginning with a small starting point that grows gradually larger as it moves upwards in a circular motion. This represents how communication starts slowly within close relationships and expands over time to more complex levels as communicators share more information and commit more to the exchange. Dance's helical model built upon previous circular models by adding the dimension of time, showing communication as a continuous, non-repetitive, and accumulative process that becomes increasingly complex.

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Chris Timothy Turdanes
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16 views8 pages

Dance's Helical Model of Communication

Frank Dance proposed the helical model of communication in 1967 to depict communication as a dynamic and non-linear process. The model is shaped like a helix or spiral, beginning with a small starting point that grows gradually larger as it moves upwards in a circular motion. This represents how communication starts slowly within close relationships and expands over time to more complex levels as communicators share more information and commit more to the exchange. Dance's helical model built upon previous circular models by adding the dimension of time, showing communication as a continuous, non-repetitive, and accumulative process that becomes increasingly complex.

Uploaded by

Chris Timothy Turdanes
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

DANCE’S HELICAL MODEL

In 1967, Frank Dance has proposed the


communication model called Dance’s Helix
Model for a better communication process.
The name helical comes from “Helix” which
means an object having a three-
dimensional shape like that of a wire
wound uniformly around a cylinder or
cone. He shows communication as a
dynamic and non-linear process.
Dance’s model emphasized the difficulty
of communication. Frank Dance uses the
form of a Helix to describe the
communication process. He developed
this theory based on a simple helix which
gets bigger and bigger as it moves or
grows. The main characteristics of a
helical model of communication is that it
is evolutionary.
Frank Dance explains the communication process based
on this Helix structure and compares it with
communication. In the Helix structure, the bottom or
starting is very small then it gradually moves upward in
a back and forth circular motion which forms the bigger
circle in the top and it is still moves further. The whole
process takes some time to reach. As like helix, the
communication process starts very slowly and defined
small circle only. The communicators shared
information only with a small portion of themselves to
their relationships. Its gradually develops into next level
but which will take some time to reach and expanding
its boundaries to the next level. Later the
communicators commit more and shared more portions
by themselves.
1. Linear Models: Early models of communication saw
it as a linear process: someone says something and
another person receives it. A famous version of a linear
model is the Shannon-Weaver model.
2. Circular Models: Osgood and Schramm, however,
introduced a cyclical model, whereby communication
goes out, but also comes back as feedback. From here
on, the cyclical model overshadowed the linear model
when thinking about communication.
3. The Helical Model: Dance’s model builds upon the
idea that communication happens in a circular process.
However, Dance proposed that communication never
perfectly repeats itself. When we get information back
from someone, we’ll use that new information to say
something smarter and in a more informed way next
time.
Thus, making Dance’s model
accommodates for improvements in
our communication by creating a
time-based third dimension. Now,
instead of communication looking
like a two dimensional circle, it
looks like a three dimensional
spring.
5 Features of Dance's Helical Model of
Communication
 Cyclical,
 Influenced by time and experience,
 Continuous,
 Non-Repetitive, and.
 Accumulative (getting increasingly more complex and
'knowledgeable
Example
When a child is born the only means of
communication for him is crying, he cries for
everything like hunger, pain, cold etc… As the child
grows the means of communication become wider and
broader. He learns to make noises then he learns a
language to obtain attention and to fulfil his needs. As
a Helix, the process of communication, in this case,
started as crying and later it developed into a complex
and compound means.

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