Communicating

1. Guides and Handbooks
The USASMA Briefing Guide. "Accuracy, Brevity, Clarity."
Pamphlet 600-67, Effective Writing for Army Leaders. Effective writing to teach you how to write effectively.
Warrant Officer Career Center: Army Writing Guide. Hints and helpful guidance for the Army writer. (Extracted from TSP 158-F-0010, Write in the Army Style).
The Tongue and Quill, Air Force Handbook AFH 33-337 . "Communicating is a Powerful Tool for the Twenty-first Century Air Force."  For the Twenty-First Century Army, also. There are lots of good reasons why this is an Air Force classic.
Command Chief Master Sergeant Charles Shorette: Writing Effective EPRs/OERs And Award Packages. Use Chief Shorette's tool kit and follow his advice to improve your next OER, EER, performance appraisal, or award package.

2. Staff Action Papers
The Joint Staff Officer's Guide 2000: Staff Action Papers: The Tools of the Trade. A discussion of the major types of staff action papers and when each is used.
Formats:
- Executive Communications and Control. Microsoft Word 6.0 formatted documents. Use these formats as the starting point for developing correspondence for the Army Staff.
- TRADOC Memorandum 1-11: Staff Procedures. Chapter 8: HQ TRADOC forms and formats. Provides formats for several staff action papers, including messages, readaheads, point papers, executive summaries (EXSUMs), discussion papers, information papers, position papers, and star letters. 
- The Tongue and Quill: The Quill. Formats and examples of the major types of staff action papers. Beginning on page 131 of this PDF document.
- III Marine Expeditionary Force, Command Section. A Marine Corps version of the formats for point papers, position papers, talking papers, and trip reports. Downloadable in Microsoft Word document format.
Requirements for Talking Paper. For the format challenged.
Talking Paper Format. Also for the format challenged.
The Eyewire: Point Papers. A  Navy view of the talking paper.



Comments and suggestions welcomed. Contact: theron.fuller@hqda.army.mil
This Page was last updated 23 April 2001