What is Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication?

Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication represents the process of communication in its simplest
form. The acronym SMCR stands for Sender, Message, Channel, and Receiver. Berlo’s SMCR Model of
Communication 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 the
meaning of any particular message. Similar to modern theories on communication, Berlo’s 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. Lasswell’s communication
model, for example, consists of a similar framework.

Who is Berlo?

David Berlo full name David Kenneth Berlo was born in 1929 and died in 1996 in St. Petersburg,
Florida. He was a theoretician and founder of the Department of Communication at Michigan State
University. Devised a communication model SMCR, which uses Shannon- Weaver model of
communication. In 1958 he wrote a book A Philosophy of Education and in 1960 published his most
famous book The process of Communication, which gives him an explanation and model of the
psychological characteristics of communication.

Components of Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication

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. Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication identifies the following factors
that affect the source:

 Communication skills

Communication skills include: reading, listening, speaking etc.

 Attitude

One’s attitude in relationship to the audience, receiver and subject changes the meaning and
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 source’s
intention is therefore 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.

 Elements

Elements are (non)verbal aspects, such as gestures and signs, that may influence the message.
Albert Mehrabian’s communication model goes into this in more detail.

 Treatment

Treatment refers to the way in which the message is sent, the message’s packaging.

 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 communication
as effective and smooth as possible, Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication assumes the receiver’s
thinking pattern must be in accordance with that of the sender. The same factors therefore
influence this component in Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication. After all, the receiver decodes
the message him/herself and gives it their own meaning.

To summarise

Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication presents the communication process in its simplest 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, may be
perfectly fine in others. Communication doesn’t always go as smoothly as one would hope. Various
problems, such as disruptions, noise and an asynchronous process, may obstruct proper
communication.