1. A General Theory/Model of Communication

2. Three Stages of Development
Action Model
Interaction Model
Transactional Model

3. Action Model Source  Receiver
This is the simplest model of communication. It assumes that communication is a simple unidirectional event.

4. Interaction Model
Source/Receiver---Message---Channel---Receiver/Source
This model is more complicated and assumes that communication is like a ping pong game where the ping pong ball is the message.

5. Transactional Model
Self
Message-Channel
Self

6. The transactional model is the most complicated and the last stage of development for communication models. It emphasizes and ongoing, irreversible, non-repeatable process in which all the elements are constantly changing. The end result is that our notion of our self is continuously negotiated or transacted.