If two otherwise equally qualified individuals compete for the same senior position in an organisation, most of the time the one with better communication skills will get the job. Information and the ability to convey it effectively is power.But it’s not just about speech. Communication takes place in many forms – audio, visual, and physical touch. It consists of talking, listening, looking, tasting, feeling, smelling, acting and much more. Communication can involve sending messages through photographs, posters, books, newspapers, magazines, video, television, radio, and electronic telecommunication.Everything you do and everything around you communicates messages. There are unlimited ways for you to organize ideas and communicate them to others.Years ago it seemed possible to give full attention to just about all the important ideas shared in a given day. There were only a few television and radio stations to choose from, and only a handful of monthly publications, magazines and newly published books in a given week.

In the age of media, it can feel like there is no limit to the amount of information around us. There are more articles, videos, speeches and lectures to read, watch and listen to than we can possibly digest in a single lifetime. We are swamped with communication, and we simply cannot absorb all messages.

There is so much communication going on that it’s very difficult to decide what we should pay attention to. We have to make choices quickly to keep up with the flow of information. To cope, we tend to give our attention first to those ideas which “grab” us most like the ones that are creatively conveyed to hold our interest.

The challenge in today’s media age is to capture people’s attention – to get them to place their focus on our message. Learning this helps you to achieve your personal and professional goals. It’s critical that we strive to communicate our ideas better – more succinctly, accurately and as effectively as we can.

Successful communication demands that you take advantage of all the modern skills and tools available to ensure that your message comes across as you intend it, and to understand that conveying ideas takes place in several dimensions at once, and that effectively convey your message to touch upon all of the senses.