Book excerpt: What makes communication exciting in our age is the application of new media and the individual empowerment that comes with blogs, wikkis, and mobile technology, in other words our sense of connectedness. These don’t come without their difficulties, but they present very interesting opportunities. This book looks at connectedness, models of communication and the barriers to communication. No amount of technology can compensate for a poorly structured message; indeed, the technology itself can eventually become a barrier. As instant communications are now the norm, do we need to spend more time focusing on the message and our audience? It looks in detail at meetings, written communications, presentations and interviews. Introducing elements of communication theory and including activities to practice skills. Franklin D. Roosevelt said about public speaking ‘Be sincere; be brief; be seated’. This book is underpinned by the three themes captured in Roosevelt’s words. * being yourself * focusing on what’s important for your audience * knowing when to stop *