Air Force Effective Writing, Slides of Communication

Download Air Force Effective Writing and more Slides Communication in PDF only on Docsity! Air Force Effective Writing Student Handout Air Force Effective Writing Student Preparation • Complete The Tongue and Quill Exercise prior to class. Cognitive Lesson Objective: • Comprehend effective writing in the Air Force according to AFH 33-337, The Tongue and Quill. Cognitive Samples of Behavior: • Describe the resources for writing available in The Tongue and Quill: - Seven steps to effective communication - Electronic communication - Air Force writing products and templates - Writing mechanics • Identify common problems in writing: - Active vs. passive voice - Subject-verb agreement - Pronoun-antecedent agreement - Punctuation Affective Lesson Objective: • Respond to the elements of effective writing in the Air Force. Affective Samples of Behavior: • Actively participate in effective writing exercises. • Use AFH 33-37, The Tongue and Quill and other resources to communicate effectively. Air Force Effective Writing Student Handout AIR FORCE EFFECTIVE WRITING Writing tells a lot about a person—people judge you by what and how well you write. In the Air Force, you may find yourself drafting letters that your commander will sign. For example, as a project officer you may want to let your unit know about your project by distributing an informational letter written by you (the project expert), but signed by your commander (for his/her support). Therefore, your writing may reflect not only on you, but also your commander and your organization. The best tool for helping you to write in the Air Force is AFH 33-337, The Tongue and Quill. This handbook provides most of the guidance you’ll ever need. The Tongue and Quill can likely provide you with answers to communication questions you may have, so take the time to do some research, write effectively, and represent yourself and your organization in a positive light. The following exercise will help you to become familiar with The Tongue and Quill and Air Force writing. Air Force Effective Writing Student Handout 8. The draft for most papers and speeches has a three-part structure that includes these types of paragraphs: the ________________, _______________, and __________________. 9. The __________________ statement in the introduction paragraph is the one sentence you’d keep if you had only one, while the __________________ statement is like a good roadmap by clearly identifying the main points. 10. Generally, _______________ transitions (e.g., first, next, finally) improve the flow of ideas within a paragraph, while the ________________ transitions (e.g., Now that we’ve covered X, let’s talk about Y.) link separate paragraphs or major sections of a paper. 11. By using mostly active voice, your writing is clear, concise, and alive. Rewrite the following passive sentence so that it reads in active voice. PASSIVE: Better sentences will be written by you. ACTIVE: ____________________________________________________ ________ 12. When editing your work, the 3-step approach—1st pass, the Big Picture; 2nd pass, the Paragraph Structure/Clarity; and 3rd look, the Sentences/Phrases/Words—means you’ll need to read your papers at least three times to do a good job. Identify the editing technique that helps you catch errors because it requires you to slow down and uses two senses—seeing and hearing: ________________________ Subjects and verbs must agree in number—one is, while two are. Mark whether each sentence below is correct (C) or not correct (NC): 13. C___NC___A drill team with 12 members is competing for base level recognition. 14. C___NC___The commander’s main concern are untrained Airmen. 15. C___NC___Everyone within the four squadrons participates in Field Day. A common error in pronoun use involves agreement in number. If the noun (the antecedent) is singular, the pronoun used to refer to the noun or antecedent must also be singular. Mark whether each sentence below is correct (C) or not correct (NC): 16. C___NC___Everyone needs to eat their meal while sitting at attention. 17. C___NC___The trainees need to eat their meal while sitting at attention. 18. C___NC___Three lieutenants arrived late; their supervisor was angry with them. Total Correct: ____/15 Air Force Effective Writing Student Handout 19. On an Official Memorandum, the signature block starts on the __________ line below the last line of text and 4.5 inches from the left edge of the page or three spaces to the right of page center. ___2nd ___3rd ___4th ___5th 20. The template for the Talking Paper (p. 209) indicates that the identification line at the bottom of the paper must include the following six items: ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ 21. The Tongue and Quill discusses two types of bullet statements, the ________________ bullet for talking papers and the ___________________ bullet for performance reports and award submissions. In the following sentences, demonstrate where to put the commas for closed and open punctuation. 22. CLOSED—Will you go by car train or plane? 23. OPEN—Will you go by car train or plane? 24. How do you abbreviate “Second Lieutenant?” ___________ 25. In titles and headings, all words are capitalized except articles (the, a, an), short prepositions (at, by, of), and _____________________ Total Correct: ____/16 TOTAL CORRECT: ____/60