Blog #7

I am sure just about everyone has either heard or said the phrase "get to the point." This message is very similar to what Lanham's standard model for human communication is trying to convey.  He calls it the CBS model, which stands for Clarity-Brevity-Sincerity. The point of this model is that messages should be clear and brief. There should be no persuasion involved in messages, only truthfulness. He mentions that "plain language is thus nearly allied to plain living. No fancy clothes. No cosmetics. No fancy food. No fancy cars. Thoreau's cabin on Walden Pond"(Lanham 139). This quote helped me understand the CBS model more clearly.

For some situations this model may be helpful, but for most I would say it has a more negative impact. An example of when it could be of use is for traffic signs or menus at a restaurants. They should be clear and precise to what they are describing for an easy understanding. An example of when it can have a more negative influence is when people are communicating with close family or friends. If everything said was shortened and to the point, people would lose their personality. The way people communicate with each-other gives us our own characteristics. I feel like it would make things more boring if everyone followed this model.

Works Cited

Lanham. "An Alphabet That Thinks” pp 130-157.