The thing I really enjoyed about this chapter was the step by step analysis of “the message.” At first I thought it was pretty obvious, and even a waste of time. But the two words/ideas that really got me thinking were “encode” and “decode”. I’ve noticed in my experience with email, texting, and other modern, non-verbal communication, that the message the sender intends (encodes) can be very different than how the receiver interprets it (decodes).
I think taking that extra step to really think about how your message might be perceived can really help in making your messages more effective. Sometimes I like to think about the worst possible way that a client/boss/etc… might interpret my message, and then edit from that perspective, just to really be sure I am being understood correctly.
joekanemader 
That’s a very wise thing to do–to read your message from the perspective of your audience and then revising it.