COMMUNICATION THEORY

Communication as a named and unified discipline has a history of contestation that goes back to the Socratic dialogues, in many ways making it the first and most contestatory of all early sciences and philosophies. Aristotle first addressed the problem of communication and attempted to work out a theory of it in The Rhetoric. He was primarily focused on the art of persuasion.

Humanistic and rhetorical viewpoints and theories dominated the discipline prior to the twentieth century, when more scientific methodologies and insights from psychology, sociology, linguistics and advertising began to influence communication thought and practice.

Most theories associated with communication are based on notions that can be traced back thousands of years. In ancient Greece, the subject we now refer to as communication was rhetoric, using language to persuade whoever was listening to do something. Practicing the art of rhetoric was highly regarded by the Greeks.

Whether an organization is trying to enhance its reputation through corporate advertising, to communicate effectively with employees about the rising cost of health care, to convince shareholders that the company is still worth investing in, or simply to get customers to buy more of its products, using a coherent communication strategy is critical.

REFERENCE

http://www.tcw.utwente.nl/theorieenoverzicht/

http://users.fmg.uva.nl/lleydesdorff/montreal.htm