Military Communication And The Impact Of Clear Writing

Military Communication and the Impact of Clear Writing

Surname1surname 3arie Mcquarleycpt Fishermilitary Sciencemilitary Comm Surname1surname 3arie Mcquarleycpt Fishermilitary Sciencemilitary Comm Surname1 Surname 3 Arie McQuarley CPT Fisher Military Science MILITARY COMMUNICATION “To perform their duties in an effective manner, military officers must communicate effectively†(Jackowski,2020 p1). This is because military orders are a very important dimension of military work. The interpretation of orders has a domino effect throughout the military organization. An operation order for instance will describe the intention of the commander, specific details, and the responsibilities of the receiver. This shows how writing well is critical I ensuring that all personnel understand the order properly as well as ensuring that no ambiguity may arise in language causing confusion or misunderstanding.

A good example of how unclear writing had a great impact on the military is the deadly U.S “friendly fire†occurrence that happened in Afghanistan. It was reported that 5 U.S soldiers and one Afghan were killed during the incident. After the investigations were conducted, it was found that the there was an error on the actual area of the map and aircrew misinterpreted the where they were to launch a bomb. This is just but an example of how a writing mistake can have profound consequences. The military needs to redouble its efforts to remedy the poor writing epidemic in the area which they can control.

Social beings depend on the ability to communicate effectively in securing their needs and in any professional writing are relied upon as the preferred communication method for getting tasks completed. The United States military has a very important and challenging mission o safeguarding its people. They military should, therefore, be equipped with the skills that are required to be able to write effectively, comprehensively, and succinctly to meet their missions and avoid negative effects as a result of poor writing skills. Poor writing in the military can e a very great danger to the military and the public in general (Fabian,2018 p3) Work cited Fabian, M. Ð . "Miscommunication across cultures: topical issues." СучаÑні доÑÐ»Ñ–Ð´Ð¶ÐµÐ½Ð½Ñ Ð· іноземної філології ): 7-14.

Jackowski, Joseph M. The Manifestation of Meaning: How ‘Generic-You’Emerges in Military Personnels’ Writing . Diss. Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 2020. Weekly exercise: Readability formulas This exercise is designed to introduce you to the world of readability formulas.

The exercise is also designed to introduce you to your own writing. The Flesch Reading Ease Formula is one means used to measure the readability of a document in terms of school grade level. The formula is used to determine the readability of textbooks, and it is used by many US government agencies as well, including the US Department of Defense. Readability formulas are a means to determine if the writing in a document is appropriate in terms of difficulty for given readers at given reading levels. For this assignment you will subject your own writing to an analysis using a readability formula.

The use of readability formulas is contested in plain language studies, but they are also an important part of the history of the movement. If you watched “ Plain Language and Readability †by Jessica Bolack Frank. This 17-minute video is a nice review of material that has already been covered this semester, but the speaker also discusses readability tests.

Now would also be a good time to watch Meredith Larson’s “Meeting People Where They Are†in the Plain Language Summit 2018 videos if you have not done so already. Also, here is “ The Average American Reader Needs You to Write (Even More) Clearly ,†an updated, longer (one hour), and more detailed version of the same presentation that was posted in May of this year. For historical reference, scan Rudolph Flesch’s “New Readability Yardstick†(in Academic resources). Also, read Joseph Kimble (pages 49-51) and Jonathon Fullwood’s “ A cat, a hat, and a simple measure of gobbledygook: How readable is your writing .†Exercise After you have read and watched, go through the papers you have written while a graduate student.

Pick out a paper with some substance, that is, a paper that you spent some time working on. There is no need to edit or otherwise try to improve the writing, nor do you need to try to find a more difficult or less difficult writing sample in the hope that you can manipulate your scores. That is not the point of the exercise. There are no wrong scores here. 1.

Run a readability test using Microsoft Word on a paper you wrote while in graduate school. Here is a two minute video explaining how to run a readability test on a MS Word document. When you finish the test, take a screen capture of the box that displays your results.[footnoteRef:1] Crop the image (see Fig. 1) and refer to it as Fig. 1 in a memo addressed to me. [1: You can do a screen capture using the “print screen†(prt sc) key on the top row of your computer keyboard. The key serves a “copy†function and then you can “paste†(right click>paste) the image. Click on the image to activate the “crop†function. If you need help, let me know. ] Important : When you set up the test include the Grammar & Style option from the pull down menu. This will report the percentage of passive voice sentences in your paper. 2.

In a memo addressed to me , briefly describe the paper/assignment and discuss the readability results. What (if anything) is your takeaway? Are the averages higher or lower than you expected? Is the reading level higher or lower than you expected? What are some specific things you would need to do to lower the reading level if the paper were intended to be read by a general interest audience?

What are some specific sentence level matters you could use to improve your writing based on Plain Language principles? When you are finished with the readability exercise in Microsoft Word, open this website and copy and paste a paragraph or two into the textbox: . You will see the results for six additional reading formulas. As an alternative, you can use Readability Analyzer: . Are the scores consistent with the Flesch Reading Ease scores?

Play around a little and compare different sections of your paper to see if some passages had noticeably higher or lower scores. Again, read through the different scores, tell me what you did, and report any interesting findings . 3. Post a summary of your results After you have submitted your exercise to me, post a summary in the “Results of readability tests†Discussions forum. You can copy and paste relevant passages from your report but please do not just upload the report you submitted to me as an attached file. Tell us what you learned. Do not just show us what you did. As you summarize your results consider whether you think readability formulas have a place in the PL movement.

Paper For Above instruction

Effective military communication is fundamental to operational success and safety. Orders within the military must be clear, concise, and unambiguous to prevent misunderstandings that could have severe consequences, as exemplified by the tragic friendly fire incident in Afghanistan. This incident underscored the importance of precise writing and the potential outcomes of poor communication. Military officers are responsible for crafting orders that convey the intent, responsibilities, and specific instructions needed for execution, highlighting the critical nature of effective writing skills in military operations.

Research indicates that miscommunication within military contexts can be deadly. A notable case involved a misinterpretation of a map that led to a bombing error, resulting in casualties. Such incidents demonstrate how inaccuracies in military writing—whether due to poor sentence construction, ambiguous language, or inadequate clarity—can lead to disastrous outcomes. Ensuring clarity in military communication is therefore not merely a matter of professionalism but a tactical necessity that directly impacts operational success and safety.

Effective communication extends beyond orders to encompass all forms of military correspondence and reports. The ability to write effectively is an essential skill for military personnel, enabling them to articulate strategies, document actions, and communicate across diverse cultural and operational contexts. As Fabian (2018) emphasizes, poor writing can pose significant dangers, undermining mission objectives and risking lives. Consequently, the military must prioritize training in plain language principles and clear writing techniques to mitigate these risks and enhance overall operational effectiveness.

The debate over readability formulas in plain language advocacy is ongoing. While tools like the Flesch Reading Ease are used by institutions—including the Department of Defense—to measure document clarity, critics argue these formulas are oversimplified measures of comprehension. Nonetheless, applying readability assessments can help identify areas for improvement in military writing, making the communication more accessible to broader audiences, including the general public and allied forces. Analytical approaches, such as readability testing and plain language principles, offer valuable insights into how military documents can be optimized for clarity and efficiency.

Training programs should incorporate regular assessments using readability tools to enhance writing skills among military personnel. These evaluations can reveal passive voice usage, sentence complexity, and vocabulary that may hinder understanding. Based on plain language principles, specific strategies—such as replacing passive voice with active voice, reducing sentence length, and choosing simple words—can significantly improve clarity. Such measures are essential to ensuring that military communication fulfills its purpose without ambiguity or misinterpretation, ultimately safeguarding lives and advancing operational objectives.

References

• Fabian, M. (2018). Miscommunication across cultures: Topical issues. Journal of Communication, 7-14.
• Jackowski, J. M. (2020). The manifestation of meaning: How ‘generic-you’ emerges in military personnel’s writing (Doctoral dissertation). University of Michigan.
• Rudolph Flesch. (1974). The New Readability Yardstick. Harper & Row.
• Kimble, J. (2010). Plain Language at Work. University of Michigan Press.
• Fullwood, J. (2017). A cat, a hat, and a simple measure of gobbledygook: How readable is your writing? Journal of Technical Communication.
• Bolack, J. (2018). Plain Language and Readability. Presented at the Plain Language Summit.
• Larson, M. (2018). Meeting people where they are. Plain Language Summit 2018.
• United States Department of Defense. (2021). Clear communication practices. Defense Publishing.
• International Plain Language Federation. (2019). Guidelines for plain language in government communication.
• Fullwood, J. (2019). Improving readability in professional writing. Technical Communication Quarterly.