What Is a Model of Communication?

The term model of communication refers to a conceptual model employed to explain the human communication process. The first model of communication was elaborated by Warren Weaver and Claude Elwood Shannon in 1949.

The original model of communication consisted of three main parts: the sender, channel and receiver and was modeled after the functioning of radio and telephone technologies. David Berlo expanded the original model of communication to create a model of communication that included the message as well. In 2008, Dean Barnlund designed a transactional model of communication, constructed around the idea that individuals engage in the process of sending and receiving of messages simultaneously.