corrections  are  rarely  needed  before  signature.  In some  situations,  you  will  be  the  one  to  determine the  type  of  correspondence  to  be  used.  To  fulfill those  requirements,  you  must  understand  the basic policies and procedures for preparing the various  types  of  correspondence. Preparation  of  Correspondence You  or  someone  else  at  the  departmental  level prepares the rough draft of official outgoing correspondence. Persons of higher authority within  the  department  then  “chop,”  or  edit,  the rough before it is sent to the executive officer or the administrative assistant for approval. Based on  that  premise,  we  will  not  attempt  to  explain and illustrate minute details regarding format requirements.  The  Department  of  the  Navy Correspondence  Manual,  SECNAV  Instruction 5216.5C, amply covers format requirements. However,  the  last  section  of  this  chapter  covers naval writing standards. Before starting the letter, decide whether you should use a Navy Mailed Message (NAV- GRAM),  a  message,  or  a  routine  memorandum. That will require you to determine the nature of the  communication.  First,  be  sure  exactly  what the communication should accomplish. Next, consider  factors  such  as  format,  references, enclosures,  and  the  type  of  communication  re- quired. When  preparing  correspondence,  bear  in  mind that  the  usual  purpose  of  Navy  mail  is  to  provide the  reader  with  concisely  stated  information. If you turn out a confused, rambling, lengthy masterpiece, you only create an editing chore for the  drafting  officer.  You  may  wind  up  doing  the whole  thing  over.  The  following  are  some  of  the usual causes of confusion and rambling in a letter: Failure  to  follow  the  basic  pattern  of  the subject (purpose, circumstances, action) Inclusion  of  more  than  a  single  idea in  a  sentence,  more  than  one  central thought in a paragraph, or more than a single subject in the letter Failure to consider the readers (Can they misinterpret  your  wording?) Once  you  understand  what  the  letter  is  to accomplish,  you  should  follow  certain  steps  to ensure good organization and continuity: 1.  Arrange  information  in  a  logical  order. 2.  Complete  each  unit  of  information  before moving on to the next. 3.  Maintain  continuity  by  providing  transition from one unit of information to another. In the first paragraph, state the purpose of the letter.  In  the  following  paragraphs,  explain  the circumstances and the action to be taken (give orders,  make  requests,  give  consent,  or  refuse permission). Be sure you follow a logical order; for  example,  first  explain  the  problem  (or circumstance);  then  give  each  step  the  reader should  take  to  resolve  the  problem.  Maintain continuity  by  showing  the  connection  between  one point  of  information  and  the  next.  For  example, you  might  tell  the  reader  certain  information involves  several  methods  and  then  immediately name  those  methods. When the letter is in answer to or closely related  to  another  letter,  the  first  sentence  should refer  to  that  letter. Example: 1. Reference (a) requested informa- tion about the allowance lists for the next 3 fiscal years. Reference (b) pointed  out  that  such  informa- tion is available for only 2 years in advance . . . . No rule exists about the number of paragraphs one unit of information should contain. In letters of  average  length,  each  significant  unit  of information  may  be  one  paragraph.  However, some  units  of  information  may  require  more  than one  paragraph  to  explain.  Other  explanations  may be so simple that a single paragraph makes up the entire  body  of  the  correspondence.  No  matter  how many  paragraphs  you  write,  be  sure  to  follow  the rules  for  good  organization  and  continuity. TARGET  DATE.  —The first step you should take  when  assigned  a  writing  task  is  to  determine the  deadline  or  target  date  of  the  correspondence. That  will  allow  you  to  budget  your  time  effec- tively. Remember, not only must you draft the correspondence,  but  you  must  allow  for  others to  review,  revise,  and  type  the  correspondence. Then the final or smooth copy must be reviewed, corrected,  and  signed  before  the  correspondence is  released. FIRST DRAFT. —Before  writing  the  first draft of any correspondence, refer to any related correspondence  to  see  how  it  is  organized  and worded.  Note  all  the  points  you  should  cover. 2-37