Bullet Statements with Impact

1
Bullet Statements with Impact

• Lesson 52

2
Overview

• Information on Writing Military Style
• How to Write an Effective Bullet
• Examples and Quiz

3
Writing Military Style

• Why is it so important?
• Recognition Quarterly and annual awards,
  career-specific awardshelps to build careers

• Promotion Enlisted Performance Reports
• (EPRs) and Officer Performance Reports
• (OPRs) are critical to the promotion system
• they can MAKE or BREAK a career!

4
Writing Military Style, cont.

• Who needs to know how to write using military
  style?
• You do here as students
• Supervisors
• Others involved in the writing and reviewing
  process

5
Writing Military Style, cont.

• When can I use this information?
• For yourself Promotion Recommendation Forms
  (PRFs), OPRs and 1206s
• For your airmen EPRs and 1206s, other enlisted
  promotion packages

6
Basic Formatting Techniques

• Definition (TQ)
• A clear, concise bottom line of an idea or
• a single accomplishment and its impact.

7
Basic Formatting Techniques

• Definition (TQ)
• A clear, concise bottom line of an idea or
• a single accomplishment and its impact.

• NOTE Bullet format breaks the rules of standard
  grammarfocuses on concise specifics rather than
  general information

8
Basic Formatting TechniquesPunctuation and
Grammar

• Telegraphic bullets do not have periods
• Use the double dash (--), ellipsis () and
  semicolon () to indicate a pause or break in
  thought
• Use exclamation marks sparingly
• Generally, avoid using articles (a, an, the),
  conjunctions (and, but, or) and pronouns (he,
  she, him, her)
• Avoid using negative words (isnt, cant)

9
Basic Formatting Techniques, cont.

• Size of Bullets
• One to three lines long primary shouldnt have
  more than one or two secondary (sub-) bullets
• Sub-bullets indicate result, impact or scope
• Length
• Leave as little white space as possible.avoid
• carrying over a single word to the next
  linedont
• waste!
• Maximize all the white space in the block.

10
Writing Tips

• Objective Describe an accurate word picture of
  an individual in the readers mind approach this
  as a top priority
• Outcome This can have a direct impact on
  individuals careersyoull have the awesome
  opportunity to help others obtain their goals and
  dreams!

11
Writing Tips, cont.

• Use hard-hitting facts, actions and phrases
  start with a strong, fact-filled statement
• Each bullet should contain substance limit fluff
• Be enthusiastic, and make your writing come
  alive! Use active voice.
• Use common terms everyday people can understand,
  instead of using job specific jargon
• Validate with comments from outside agencies (HQ
  USAF, MAJCOM, Wing, etc.)

12
Three Parts to an Effective Bullet

• Action
• Result (aka accomplishment)
• Impact

13
Three Parts to an Effective Bullet

• ACTION What did the person do?
• Be specific, yet brief
• Focus on what the person did and their leadership
  and management abilities
• Example Managed 49 LG block training

14
Examples

• Other words to begin the action

Spearheaded
Masterfully orchestrated
Performed
Implemented
15
Three Parts to an Effective Bullet

• RESULT What occurred because of the action?
• Again, specific but brief
• Quantify as much as possible use percentages,
  numbers, time/money values (saved), number
  supervised and resource oversight
• Example provided superb training to 350 people

16
Three Parts to an Effective Bullet

• IMPACT What is the overall significance?
• Qualify and quantify here toohelps the reader
  know why each action and result was so important
• How did this impact the overall mission and/or
  bigger picture?
• Example reduced overdues to zero

17
Three Parts to an Effective Bullet

• Completed bullet
• Managed 49 LG block training provided superb
  training to 350 peoplereduced overdues to zero

18
Other Tips of the Trade

• The Last Bullets in Rating Sections
• Stratification use to rank top personnel show
  how individual stands out from peers (top x, my
  1, my best). hard-hitting, enthusiastic, with
  strong
• written recommendation for promotion

3 of 89 SMSgts at USAFA None better! My 1
choice for training manager Best in the
training business! USAF Education and Training
Manager of the Year (HQs Level) for 2001!
19
Other Tips of the Trade, cont.

• The Last Bullets in Rating Sections
• Promotion recommendations for EPRs
• Promotion to chief this board a must!
• No recommendation may be taken as dont promote
  by readers, and viewed negatively by board
  members
• PME or next job recommendation for officers
• NOTE Keep the last bullet to one line

20
Other Tips of the Trade, cont.

• For EPRs you can use additional duties and
  volunteer/community support activities, but use
  sparingly
• For 1206s, typical headings include
• Leadership and Job Performance in Primary Duty
• Self Improvement
• Base/Community Involvement

21
A Word of Advice.

• Be careful using certain words that may weaken
  phrases that otherwise would be strong. These
  can make a sterling performer into an instant
  weak one.

rarely
almost
usually
seldom
one-of-the
22
Examples
23
Good Example

• - Spearheaded training requirements for 143
  troops achieved 100 utilization rate--enhanced
  mobility readiness

Has an action, result and impact
24
Poor Example

• Outstanding leader who possesses initiative to
  accept and succeed every demanding task-great
  reflection on AF
• Action has no hard-hitting facts or result and
  impact reads more like a narrative description

25
Quiz
26
Quiz

• Created a Strategic Plan for Enlisted Training
  identified goals, purpose, objectives and
  metrics--benchmarked as model for use AF-wide

Good Has action, result and impact
27
Quiz

• - Outstanding manager of resources--aggressively
  validated and tracked more than 300M in
  obligations!

Good and Poor Has the action, but still needs
the result and impact
28
Quiz

• - Developed, tested and maintained certification
  and accreditation of all 20th Bomb Squadron
  computers

Poor No result or impact no quantification
reads more like a duty description
29
Summary

• Information on Writing Military Style
• How to Write an Effective Bullet
• Examples and Quiz

30

• Of all those arts in which the wise excel,
  Natures chief masterpiece is writing well.

Duke of Buckinghamshire Sheffield