Discussion:
1: you have some interesting points about the nonverbal communication. specially the texting portion of it because this more often than not gets misinterpreted. I believe because it is all about the mode you are in when you are reading a message send by somebody. for example, if I am in a nice, mellow, easy going, calm mode, it doesn't matter what the text saids (unless it is very explicit), I may not interpret the message as aggressive, but if I am in a bad mood, or negative about something, I most likely will misinterpret any thing unless they are very soothing words.
Regarding the body language and facial expression, I agree as well. they can transmit a different signal or meaning than those been expressed verbally.
2:You really do have to be aware of your facial expressions because they can easily be misinterpreted. For example, let's say you're in a meeting and you're thinking of something completely off topic that made you angry earlier in the day. You may then have an angry look on your face that could be misinterpreted by those you're in a meeting with.
3:The listening process is an important part of any communication whether in the business world or even in the personal world. We start the process by receiving the information that some one is communicating to you, this includes eye contact and letting the person get their full say out. Next we decode what was said to use, processing the words and the meaning behind them, in which we will start to remember all the information that we took in. Finally we are going to evaluate the information given to us before finally responding. Most people listen just to respond with out truly hearing what the other is saying and it really makes a difference to listen.
4:Sybil I totally agree with you on this that having good communication is really important especially in a diverse work force. I work in big box retail where we work so many different groups of people fro young to old and from many different backgrounds. Being able to communicate to each person in an effective manner where the whole team gets the message and is able to function is vital for any business and I can only imagine the importance in th military.