Bullet Statement Writing 0104

is an accurate, brief, and specific "bottom line" of an idea or of a single accomplishment with its associated impact. All bullet statements must be accurate, brief, and specific (ABS). Using the ABS attributes allows delivery of straight-to-the-point communication and presents a clear picture of an achievement or idea with fewer words, which saves time for the writer and the reader.

• Bullet statements present a clear picture of an idea or accomplishment and its impact. • Bullet statements allow the writer to concisely deal with specific points. • Bullet statements take less time to read and allow the writer to communicate more information within a smaller space. Bullet statements are used in performance reports and award nominations because they present the performance and/or accomplishment

single idea bullets and/or accomplishment-impact bullet. Single Idea Bullets- The single idea bullet statement is a concise written statement of a single idea or concept. The single idea bullet statement is typically used for Talking Papers, Point Papers, and Bullet Background Papers. Accomplishment-Impact Bullets- Accomplishment-impact bullets are typically used in Enlisted Performance Reports (EPR), Officer Performance Reports (OPR), and award submissions (AF IMT 1206). These bullets typically describe someone's work performance (good or bad) and/or noteworthy off-duty pursuits. Accomplishment-impact bullet variations: Acton verb Modified verb Specific Achievement action verb- variation of the accomplishment-impact bullet, the accomplishment element begins with a strong action verb and ends with an expressly stated impact element. Example: - Developed new customer sign-in log reducing customer complaints by 35 percent Modified Verb- In the modified verb variation of the accomplishment-impact bullet, the accomplishment element begins with a modifier, such as an adverb, in front of the action verb and ends with an expressly stated impact element. Most adverbs are real easy to pick out ... they end with the last two letters ―ly Example: - Consistently exceeded dress and appearance; received squadron Sharp Airman Award Specific Achievement- the accomplishment element may begin with a noun, verb, or modifier. Specific achievement bullets may not contain a separate impact statement; the impact is not explicitly stated but implied. Example: - Wing NCO of the Quarter for Jul-Sep 2004

EXTRACT THE FACTS- gather information and sort information Specific actions the person performed (don't generalize). The proper "power verb" that best describes each action (i.e., repaired, installed, designed, etc.). As much numerical information as possible that is related to each action (number of items fixed, dollars generated, man-hours saved, people served, pages written, etc.). Information about how accomplishments impacted the bigger picture, the larger scope (How did it help the work center? How did it support the unit's mission? How did it benefit the entire Air Force?). Sort the Information- Your next step is to review each item you've gathered and test it to see if it is truly associated with the single accomplishment you identified earlier or if these facts are completely unrelated. You can do this by applying the million-dollar question to each item: "Is this bit of information solidly connected to this single accomplishment?" BUILD THE STRUCTURE- Start by recognizing that some of the information describes the performance (or accomplishment), while other information may describe the outcome (or impact) of that accomplishment. AIM High- Accomplishment, Impact, and Mechanics. accomplishment element- briefly describes the person's actions or behavior. impact element- describes the results of the accomplishment and it may be either expressly stated or implied (for specific achievement bullets only!). Keep in mind the following rules for accomplishment-impact bullet statements: Begin with a single dash Have no periods Never begin with a noun or personal pronoun (including the person's name who performed the accomplishment) Do not include the subject's name. It is not necessary to repeat the subject's name since it already appears on the package or paper Start with some form of action (action verb or modified verb) STREAMLINE THE FINAL PRODUCT- the next and final step is to apply the critical attributes of accuracy, brevity, and specificity, or ABS for short. Accuracy-For anything to be ―accurate it must be correct. Brevity-In editing for brevity you are actually accomplishing two separate activities. First, you should select words (replacing as necessary) that are shortest, clearest, yet most descriptive to the readers. Second, you need to reduce the number of unnecessary words. Specificity-Specific bullet statements contain detailed facts.

ABS (also known as ―the critical attributes of bullet statements‖) it's best to combine accuracy and specificity in the first round of bullet cleanup efforts. The second part of streamlining your final product is to make your bullet statements brief. Making your bullet statements brief will take two different types of changes: 1. Replace lengthy words with shorter, clearer, more common, and powerful terms. 2. Reduce the number of fluff or filler words. When you properly apply these attributes to your bullet statements, you will clean them up, trim them down, and give them the all-around scrubbing they need before they become a permanent part of someone's official record. Some of the words to consider eliminating from bullet statements: Articles: a, an, the Helping verbs: can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall, should, will, would - Also forms of be: be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being - Also forms of have: have, has, had, having - Also forms of do: do, does, did Linking verbs: forms of verbs associated with five senses: look, sound, smell, feel, taste Name of the person when their name is printed elsewhere on the document Personal pronouns Prepositions (use them sparingly): over, under, in, during, within, etc.

When editing bullets, you will evaluate for correct Accomplishment, Impact, and Mechanics.

Check each bullet to ensure a single accomplishment is described. Verify that the accomplishment element of the bullet contains those critical attributes of ABS (accuracy, brevity, and specificity). Example: - Significantly decreased customer complaints

Once you have evaluated the accomplishment elements, it is time to start editing the Impact Elements. Check each bullet to ensure it contains an impact element. As with the accomplishment element, verify that the impact element of the bullet is accurate, brief, and specific (ABS). Evaluate the bullet to see if it accurately presents the Impact Element. Example - Completed 25 reports 10 days ahead of schedule

Evaluate the entire bullet package looking for errors. Evaluate the bullet package to ensure it is mechanically sound. If you find that your bullet package contains errors, correct the errors and review the package until no errors remain. Example: She was reconized by her unit as a "Shiny star."

The bullet statements you compose for EPRs and award packages can affect how you are perceived by your superiors, your peers, and your subordinates Consider some of the negative consequences for supervisors who don't write effective bullet statements. They may have difficulty getting their point across. Readers may misinterpret their meaning. Poorly written bullet statements could affect their ability to take care of their subordinates particularly if accomplishment-impact bullets are written incorrectly. Accurate reporting of performance is critical to ensuring that outstanding performers receive appropriate recognition. The bullet statements that you write reflect your impression of performance based on the records that you have kept. Conversely, workcenter morale can degrade when poor performers are not correctly evaluated. Others whose work performance is far superior will feel betrayed or underappreciated.