Title: 
Headings: Staff Writing
Staff
 
Writing

U.S.
 
Army
 
Training
 
and
 
Doctrine
 
Command

Preface

Author

Overview

Objectives

Overview,
 
Continued

In
 
this
 
lesson

Section
 
A:
Improvement
Techniques

Section
 
B:
Back
Matter

Appendices

The
 
Need
 
for
 
Clear
 
Writing

AOs
 
are
writers

Standards
 
and
 
Rules

Clarification

Active
 
and
 
Passive
 
Voice

Using
 
the
 
Active
 
and
 
Passive
 
Voice

Wordiness

Introduction

the,
 
that,
 
or
which

Wordiness,
 
Continued

Exception


Content: In
 
spite
 
of
 
efforts
 
to
 
eradicate
 
it,
 
poor
 
writing
 
still
 
survives: It's
 
embedded
 
in
 
the
 
bureaucracy. People
 
think
 
government
 
writing
 
should
 
look
 
official. The
 
reader
 
will
 
waste
 
time
 

The
 
writer
 
will
 
waste
 
time


 
rereading


 
guessing


 
grabbing
 
a
 
dictionary,
 
or


 
picking
 
up
 
a
 
phone. taking
 
calls
 
from
 
confused
 
readers


 
writing
 
a
 
clarification
 
message,
 
or


 
explaining
 
to
 
an
 
irate
 
boss
 
why
 
the
 
paper
 
must
 
be
 
rewritten. The
 
undereducated
 
or
 
insecure
 
think
 
they
 
can
 
impress
 
by
 
writing
 
this
 
way. Writers
 
either
 
don't
 
know
 
how
 
or
 
else
 
are
 
afraid
 
to
 
change. Leaders
 
who
 
should
 
know
 
better
 
tolerate
 
poor
 
writing. AOs
 
are
writers
Action
 
officers
 
must
 
write
 
well; they
 
write
 
documents
 
for
 
senior
 
leaders
 
to
 
sign,
often
 
widely
 
read,
 
and
 
having
 
large
 
impact.