Interpersonal Communication- A Mindful Approach to Relationships, 2020a

The Shannon-Weaver model was
criticized because it assumed that
communication always occurred
linearly. Wilbur Schram (1954) felt
that it was important to notice the
impact of messages. 22 Schramm’s
model regards communication as
a process between an encoder and
a decoder. Most importantly, this
Sender --> Encoding
Receiver --> Decoding
model accounts for how people
Signal
interpret the message. Schramm
argued that a person’s background,
experience, and knowledge are
factors that impact interpretation.
Besides, Schramm believed that the
messages are transmitted through
a medium. Also, the decoder will Figure 2.5 Scharmm Model
be able to send feedback about the
message to indicate that the message has been received. He argued that communication is incomplete
unless there is feedback from the receiver. According to Schramm’s model, encoding and decoding are
vital to effective communication. Any communication where decoding does not occur or feedback does
not happen is not effective or complete.
Berlo’s SMCR Model
David K. Berlo (1960) 23 created the SMCR model of communication. SMCR stands for sender, message,
channel, receiver. Berlo’s model describes different components of the communication process. He
argued that there are three main parts of all communication, which is the speaker, the subject, and the
listener. He maintained that the listener determines the meaning of any message.
In regards to the source or sender of the message, Berlo identified factors that influence the source
of the message. First, communication skills refer to the ability to speak or write. Second, attitude is the
person’s point-of-view, which may be influenced by the listener. The third is whether the source has
requisite knowledge on a given topic to be effective. Fourth, social systems include the source’s values,
beliefs, and opinions, which may influence the message.
Next, we move onto the message portion of the model. The message can be sent in a variety of ways,
such as text, video, speech. At the same time, there might be components that influence the message,
such as content, which is the information being sent. Elements refer to the verbal and nonverbal
behaviors of how the message is sent. Treatment refers to how the message was presented. The structure
is how the message was organized. Code is the form in which the message was sent, such as text, gesture,
or music.
The channel of the message relies on the basic five senses of sound, sight, touch, smell, and taste.
Think of how your mother might express her love for you. She might hug you (touch) and say, “I
love you” (sound), or make you your favorite dessert (taste). Each of these channels is a way to display
affection.
The receiver is the person who decodes the message. Similar to the models discussed earlier, the
receiver is at the end. However, Berlo argued that for the receiver to understand and comprehend the
55
Interpersonal Communication