While in the past, communication was considered a simple transmission of a message from the source to the receiver by means of a channel, over the years more theories emerged, underlining the intricacies of communication interactions…
Communication theories are valuable frameworks that help both scholars and communicators to understand relationships between the components of the communication process. Furthermore, these theories can help systematize information and explicate complex communication interactions.
It is vital to have knowledge of the key types of communication theories to be able to understand, study and improve communication in various contexts and at all levels. Awareness of communication theories not only can help communicators and organizations design effective and successful information campaigns but can also help people become good communicators.
Key Types of Communication Theories
. Media Richness Theory (MRT) - developed in the 1980’s by Richard L. Daft and Robert H. Lengel MRT provides a powerful conceptual framework that evaluates the effectiveness of communication mediums based on their “richness” or their capacity to convey information without misinterpretation.
According to MRT, richness involves several important factors such as the ability to provide immediate feedback, the medium’s capacity to support the use of national language and the delivery of social cues. The theory considers communication forms according to the least to most rich. For instance, written forms of communication are considered the least while face to face communication are most rich.
Initially employed to help organizations select the most effective medium for work-related communication, over the years the application of MRT has grown in various contexts such as collective actions to address public concerns and the development of education related communication.
. Berlo’s SMCR Theory - developed by David Berlo in 1960, Berlo’s SMCR Theory represents the communication process in its basic form, which components are: source, message, channel and receiver. The theory considers communication as a transfer of information, the source transforms an idea into a message, or encodes a message, the channel is the medium through which the message is conveyed from the source to the receiver, the receiver is the person or the audience who gets the message and who must decode it. Decoding means interpreting the message received and assigning meaning to it.
Berlo’s SMCR Theory highlights the importance of the two components of communication: the source and the receiver. The theory considers that the success or failure of communication interactions largely depend on the source and receiver, their social and cultural backgrounds, their attitudes and skills, experiences and their ability to communicate. Berlo’s SMCR theory believes that effective communication can only happen when both the source and receiver are on the same level.
Critics underscore some weak points of Berlo’s SMCR theory. First, it is a linear type of communication, the sender transmits a message to the receiver, and that's the end of the story, no feedback whatsoever. Second, it doesn’t mention noise as a possible origin of misinterpretation and communication failure, and lastly, it is too simplistic. Communication, according to theorists, is never a linear one, it is dynamic and ongoing and a lot of internal and external factors can contribute to the success and failure of communication interactions.
. Symbolic Interactionism Theory - associated with sociologists George Herbert Mead and Herbert Blumer, symbolic interactionism is a theoretical framework that explains how individuals construct social reality through shared meanings and interpretations. This is a micro level theory that studies the intricacies of social interactions and the subjective meanings people attach to symbols like words, language and objects.
The Symbolic Interactionism perspective considers individuals as an active part of society. Meanings are constructed by people through social interaction. Social Interaction is the reciprocal process by which people or groups of people communicate, act and react to one another, influencing behavior, ideas and emotions. Symbolic Interactionism views society as a product of shared meanings like language and through language these meanings are relayed across generations. The social world is thus created by the meanings individuals accord to events and social interaction.
. Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) - developed in 1975 by researchers Charles Berger and Richard Calebrese URT delves on the manner in which people communicate and interact with each other during their first encounter. The theory suggests that when two individuals meet for the first time, they feel uncertainty about each other and their potential interpersonal relationship and thus they try to find ways to mitigate these feelings of hesitation and skepticism towards each other.
URT underscores two principal types of uncertainty: first, cognitive uncertainty, which refers to what the individual consciously thinks of the other one, and second, behavioral uncertainty which involves the inability to predict or explain the kind of behavior individuals assume during interaction, often generating uneasiness. Uncertainty, according to the URT perspective, is an integral part of communication interaction among human beings and is likely to mitigate as interpersonal relationships evolve over time.
. Communication Privacy Management (CPM) Theory - developed by Professor and theorist Sandra Petronio in 2002, CPM delves into the interplay of how persons view and govern their private information and how they determine what to disclose or conceal about themselves.
The CPM perspective is that persons believe that they have the right to manage their private information and likewise the right to establish private boundaries to protect it. When private information is shared to other parties, like financial institutions and healthcare providers, those parties become co-owners of such information, thus requiring a shared agreement on privacy rules.
The CPM theory emphasizes the notion of “boundary turbulence” which happens when there is disagreement on the manner in which private information is employed. With the growth of social media platforms, the applicability of the CPM perspective has acquired significance since media users are sometimes unmindful of how their private data are being distributed and utilized.
In conclusion, while in the past communication was considered a simple transmission of a message from the source to the receiver by means of a channel, over the years communication has assumed a much more complex connotation. As society evolves, more theories emerge, highlighting the interplay between the various components of the communication process and how internal and external factors may affect the result of communication interactions between individuals and groups of people.
Web References:
Communication Theory. (n.d.). Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication.https://www.communicationtheory.org/berlos-smcr-model-of-communication/#:~:text=Berlo's%20model%20believes%20that%20for,be%20on%20the%20same%20level.
EBSCO. (n.d.). Communication Privacy Management Theory. EBSCO.
EBSCO. (2023). Kte’pi, B. Media Richness Theory. EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/media-richness-theory
EBSCO. (n.d.). Uncertainty and Reduction Theory. EBSCO.
Journalism.University. (n.d.). Berlo’s Model of Communication: 4 Pillars of Effective Exchange.
Macleod, S. (2025, March 3). Symbolic Interactionism: Theory nd Examples.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/symbolic-interaction-theory.html
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