BERLO’S SMCR MODEL OF COMMUNICATION

simplest form. The acronym SMCR stands for Sender, Message, Channel, and Receiver.
munication describes the different components that form the
basic process of communication. Because this communication tool also emphasises the coding
and decoding of the message, it can be used for more efficient communication.

As far back as ancient Greece, Aristotle already wrote about communication processes. He
described three primary aspects of all forms of communication: the speaker, the subject, and
the person who receives the message. He argued that it is the listener who ultimately determines

SMCR Model of Communication describes four components of communication.

In 1948, the Bell System Technical Journal published a mathematical model developed by
Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver. This model was initially developed to improve technical
communication, but would later be applied in many other fields. In 1960, David Berlo
expanded on this linear communication model and created the SMCR Model of
Communication. Today, the sender-receiver framework is often used in communication
sciences. ion model, for example, consists of a similar framework.

unication

communication process. The different components in the model are influenced by various
factors.

Arnab Mondal
Sender

The sender of the message is the source who creates and sends the message to the receiver. The
source is the start of the communication process and is the person who encodes the message.
Factors that may influence the sender are also applicable to the receiver. Consider how the
message is interpreted, for example. Berl
following factors that affect the source:

Communication skills

Communication skills include: reading, listening, speaking etc.

Attitude

consequence of the message.

Knowledge

Familiarity with the subject of the message makes communication more effective.

Social systems

Values, beliefs, religion and rules influence the way in which the sender communicates the
message, alongside location and circumstances.

Culture

Cultural differences may result in the message being interpreted differently.

Message

The message is the package of information or meaning that is sent from sender to receiver. The
message can be sent in various forms, such as audio, speech, text, video or other media. The
sender of the messages always wants the receiver to interpret the message in a certain way. The
efore translated into a coded message. The receiver should understand
the message with reasonable accuracy. The message is influenced by:

Content

The content of the message from beginning to end.

Arnab Mondal
Elements

Elements are (non)verbal aspects, such as gestures and signs, that may influence the message.

Treatment

Structure

As the word suggests, the structure of the message refers to the way in which it is structured.

Code

The code of the message is the form in which the message is sent. This may include text,
language, video, gestures, music, etc.

Channel

The channel is the medium used to send the message. The medium must be able to be picked
up by the sensory system of the receiver and may therefore involve vision, sound, smell, taste
or touch. Humans have the following senses:

 Hearing

 Seeing

 Touching

 Smelling

 Tasting

Mass communication always involves technical tools, such as phones, the Internet and
television. In these cases, the transmitted information is assimilated via vision and sound.

Receiver

The receiver is the person who receives and subsequently decodes the coded message. In a linear
communication process, the receiver is always located at the end. In order to make

ce with that of the sender. The

Arnab Mondal
After all, the receiver decodes the message him/herself and gives it their own meaning.

A Disrupted Communication Process

In practice, c
are a number of factors that may lead to a disrupted communication process. Examples of
disruptions include:

Loss or distortion

The person sending the message must encode the message in such a way that the full intention
of the message is clear. He/she may choose to do this with words, but it is very rare that the
full intention is encoded in a message. In some cases, a message may even barely contain the
information the sender wants to convey.

Even if an additional channel is added to the communication process, the message may become
distorted. For example, consider the familiar team-building game where a message is constantly
passed on in a circle of people. The last person will often hear a completely distorted or
unrecognisable message. Every time the message is conveyed by a different person, part of its
initial intention is lost.

Noise

After the message is sent, noise may occur. This noise disrupts the source and message and
causes the receiver to only partially receive the message or not at all. Internal noise refers to a
state in which part of the communication process, the receiver for example, is not feeling well,
or not entirely focussed. As a result, the receiver may miss out on certain parts of the message.
External noise, on the other hand, may be caused by background noise during a phone call, for
example. This also causes the receiver to potentially misunderstand certain parts of the message.

There may also be situations in which noise is caused intentionally. Non-intentional noise is
caused unintentionally and can, for example occur if sender uses difficult words, which then
makes it more difficult for the receiver to understand the message.

Arnab Mondal
 ronisation

The communication process may be either synchronous or asynchronous. If the receiver is in

The danger of asynchronous communication is that both the sender and receiver will not
receive direct feedback on how the message is conveyed. It also prevents the message from
being adjusted, making it impossible to clarify certain matters further.

form. The model consists of four component that are each influenced by different factors. To
ensure the message is conveyed as effectively as possible, the sender and the receiver must share
some common ground. Communication skills play a crucial role in this. Other factors, such as
culture, knowledge and attitude are also vital. What may be considered rude in some cultures,

hope. Various problems, such as disruptions, noise and an asynchronous process, may obstruct
proper communication.

Arnab Mondal