Effective Communication In The Army

Communication is critical to any organization and is necessary in every aspect especially in a military. Communication plays a role in Soldier development, peer to peer relations, Chain of command management, and virtually every aspect of a military operations. Commanders require it the most so that they can execute large scale operations without flaw and that alone requires ceaseless effective communication. If soldiers are informed and engaged, communications with other units are likely to be robust as well.

Clear Expectations

Effective communications help to establish clear expectations for soldiers and leaders as well. For soldiers, clear expectations will convey how their performance will influence the unit and give them an indication

Army Regulation 600-20, Paragraph 2-18b (3), Army Command Policy, states "NCOs are assistants to commanders in administering minor nonpunitive corrective actions." Note nonpunitive measures are not the same as nonjudicial punishment, which only may be directed by commanding officers.

When considering what type of corrective training a Soldier should receive, remember the training, instruction, or correction given, must be directly related to the Soldier's deficiency or problem area. This training may be conducted during or after normal duty hours. Since this is training and not a punishment, leaders should supervise the corrective action to ensure all tasks are completed

Using these types of measures ensure the nature of training or instruction, not punishment.

A few examples of corrective training might include: a Soldier who appears in an improper uniform may need special instruction on how to wear the uniform correctly; a Soldier in poor physical shape may need to do additional conditioning drills or foot marches; a Soldier with a dirty weapon may need to devote more time and effort cleaning his or her assigned weapon or may need instruction on the proper care and maintenance of weapons. These are just a few examples. The hardest part as a leader in ordering a Soldier to do corrective training is it takes additional time and effort on leaders as well.

One of the things I have learned as a leader is the amount of time and effort I give to my Soldiers always comes back to me in a positive manner.

While it's often easier for a leader to just raise his or her voice. The message does not always get across to the Soldier. Start by attacking the performance, not the