His goal was simple: create a fun forum for talking about bands with other music enthusiasts.¹ As he describes, “I originally decided to host the festival so I could connect and hang with club owners and music lovers I knew in Kansas City and New Orleans.” But little did newspaper editor Louis Black know that his brainchild—South by Southwest (SXSW)—would eventually morph into the world’s largest multipurpose festival, featuring not just music but every type of entertainment, communication, and media technology imaginable.

Each spring, SXSW draws tens of thousands of musicians, filmmakers, tech designers, and spectators to Austin, Texas. More than 2,500 bands perform, and they are as talented as they are diverse: jazz saxophonist Grace Kelly, hip-hop producer RZA, indie band Vampire Weekend, Chicano rockers Los Lonely Boys. Dozens of films are debuted. Hundreds of games and apps are demoed. SXSW has even become a key way to break into various media industries. John Mayer, James Blunt, and the Polyphonic Spree were all signed by major music labels after appearing at SXSW. Movies debuting at SXSW include The Hurt Locker, Bridesmaids, and The Cabin in the Woods. Even Twitter first gained national (and international) popularity following heavy publicity at SXSW.

At the heart of SXSW, however, is communication. Festival organizers use social media such as Facebook, Vimeo, Twitter, and Google+ to coordinate and conduct the festival. Amid the various musical performances and film screenings, SXSW participants interact face-to-face with industry leaders, socialize at meet-ups with friends and new acquaintances, participate in group workshops, and even interview for jobs. Each day brings opportunities to listen in on panel discussions and presentations hosted by people like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, musician Dave Grohl, Wikipedia cofounder Jimmy Wales, and filmmaker Lena Dunham. Many of these events are streamed live online, so people around the world can share in the experience. What began as quiet conversations in the darkened corners of night-clubs is now a multifaceted communication extravaganza.

Despite its size, impact, and global reach, SXSW remains dedicated to Louis Black’s original intent: connecting people through communication. As he describes, “We’ve struggled hard to maintain the integrity of the event. . . . What we love most is the creative community that comes out of the event. SXSW may be huge, but it’s fundamentally about people who love music and film and new media; and most importantly people who love to talk about it all with each other.”

Communication connects us to one another. Whether you’re attending a festival like SXSW or spending a normal day at school, work, or home, you interact with people one-on-one, in groups, and in public. You may text, tweet, post, e-mail, call, or talk face-to-face. You might give a presentation to a small or large audience or interview for a job.

Across all of these types and instances of communication, two things are important to keep in mind. First, the communication choices you make are connected to the outcomes that follow. When you communicate well, you increase the likelihood of desirable outcomes, such as successful group projects; persuasive presentations; and satisfying, healthy relationships. When you communicate poorly, you are more likely to generate negative outcomes, such as group dissatisfaction, confused audience members, and relationship turmoil.

Second, different types of communication are connected to each other in fundamental ways. Sure, texting a close friend is different from sending an e-mail to a work group or giving a speech in front of a class. However, these forms of communication also share similarities. Specifically, they involve presenting yourself to others, planning your messages, and using language to convey your thoughts. Because of these connections what you learn in every chapter of this book will apply to a wide variety of scenarios.

This book will help you build your communication skills by deepening your understanding of communication choices and their connections. In this chapter, you’ll learn: