EFFECTIVE ARMY WRITING

Subcourse Number IS1460
Edition A

TRADOC DCS, G-3/5/7
Fort Monroe VA 23651

10 Credit Hours

Edition Date: June 1999

Mission accomplishment requires skilled leadership able to make the right decision. The lives of your subordinates, peers, and superiors may depend on your skill at accomplishing this task. However, a more critical skill is the ability to clearly communicate that decision. Individuals (officers, warrant officers, noncommissioned officers, and soldiers) who can get their intent and ideas across so that others understand the message and act on it possess one of the primary qualities of leadership--the ability to communicate clearly. Therefore, your success as a military person depends on your ability to think critically and creatively and to communicate your intention and decision to others.

How we communicate is just as important as what we communicate. The two means we use to communicate our intentions to others are written and verbal. Although our focus is on effective writing, you will find many of the principles included here will help you become an effective speaker.

This subcourse will--

The scope of this course includes principles and standards of critical reasoning and creative thinking, the rules of Army writing, the steps to effective writing, and some practical guidance on issues from selecting words and phrases to preparing a staff study.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LESSON 1  CRITICAL REASONING AND CREATIVE THINKING Section I. Critical Reasoning Principles 1. Purpose, Goal, or Objective 2. Question at Issue or Problem to be Solved 3. Point of View or Perspective 4. Data 5. Concepts or Ideas 6. Assumptions and Presuppositions 7. Inferences Suggest Conclusions 8. Implications and Consequences

Section II. Creative Thinking Principles 1. Principles to Enhance Creative Thinking 2. Biases That May Inhibit Creative Thinking

Section III. Standards 1. Clarity 2. Accuracy 3. Precision 4. Relevance 5. Depth 6. Breadth 7. Significance 8. Logic Lesson 1 Review Questions

LESSON 2  STEPS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION Section I. The Research Process 1. The Research Question(s) 2. You Must Have a Clearly Stated Purpose 3. Divide the Primary Problem into Subproblems 4. The Hypotheses (Educated Guesses) 5. You Develop a Specific Plan of Action 6. Data Acceptance 7. Your Research Has an Audience

Section II. The Planning Process 1. Planning Your Writing 2. Developing Your Plan (Outlining) 3. Writing the First Draft 4. Revising the Draft

Section III. Proof Lesson 2 Review Questions

LESSON 3  PRINCIPLES OF ARMY WRITING STYLE 1. Introduction 2. Principles of Effective Writing 3. Put Your Bottom Line Up Front 4. Clear and Concise Sentences 5. Meaningful Paragraphs Lesson 3 Review Questions

LESSON 4  PRINCIPLES OF WORD USAGE, PUNCTUATION, CAPITALIZATION, AND SPELLING 1. Introduction 2. Parts of Speech 3. Punctuation 4. Capitalization 5. Spelling Lesson 4 Review Questions

LESSON 5  SOME SPECIFIC GUIDANCE ON ARMY CORRESPONDENCE 1. Introduction 2. Memorandums 3. The Staff Study 4. Decision Papers Lesson 5 Review Questions

IS1460 Edition A Examination