Enlisted Performance Reports and Awards 101

2. United States Strategic Command Enlisted Performance Reports and Awards 101 THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED: May 04

3. Overview • EPR • Administrivia • Duty and job descriptions • Awards • Administrivia • Considerations before submission • Out of guidance awards • Justification • Word Sculpting for EPRS and Awards • Chiefs thoughts on EPRs THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

4. EPR Administrivia • Ensure the following: • Name all upper case letters • That all information matches rip given • Watch your spacing • Run SPELLCHECK • Make sure numbers over 1,000 have commas in appropriate places THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

5. EPR Administrivia Cont. • Initial feedback date must be after supervision start date • Date reports on or after the closeout dates • Cannot mention separation or retirement • Specify quarter for awards • Do Not Use National Command Authorities (NCA) replace with President or SECDEF THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

6. EPR Administrivia Cont. • When referring to time age or money use figures ( 3 days, 8 hours, 6 miles) • Do Not date OP, OPA, OPB, or AF Advisor’s signature blocks • Ensure concur • Be consistent throughout when you use items like % or percent • POTUS unauthorized abbreviation NOTE: More helpful suggestions on the use of hyphenation and abbreviations can be found in the Global Operations Quick Reference Guide dated 2 Mar 04 THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

7. EPR Duty and Job Descriptions • Duty Titles are not as important as duty descriptions • Ensure job descriptions accurately reflect duties • How many people are supervised? • How many and what type of resources are they responsible for? • What do they actually do and who are they working or providing product to? THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

8. Awards Administrivia • Know when the people you supervise are scheduled to depart • Prepare the award before ordering the ADAPTs package • Award should flow and have transitions, bullets are for EPRS, not awards THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

9. Awards Administrivia Cont. • Ensure the proper routing, this will make the award process go faster • Don’t use abbreviations in awards • Don’t use office symbols, use appropriate names • Ensure you follow instructions in ADAPTs package THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

10. Considerations Before Awards Submission • First off not everyone should or is going to get an award • Completion of a tour is not a guarantee or sole reason for an award • Supervisor’s need to review and know information in subordinates personal information files (PIFs) • Look at mid-tour awards for individuals who have been here for over three years and have superior performance that deserves recognition THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

11. Considerations Before Awards Submission Cont. • Be aware of what is considered the appropriate level of award versus grade • Know what the regulation or SAI states about the award • Be prepared to write extra justification THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

12. Out of Guidance Awards • Know what they are • Examples: • SrA receiving JSCM, • TSgt receiving DMSM, • Capt receiving DMSM • Individual needs to have had serious Command impact • Winner of Command Quarterly and Yearly Awards • Serious senior level recognition THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

13. Award Justification • Most significant accomplishments not already in award • Need to know all quarterly awards and yearly awards • Division level • Section level • Needs to be at least a half page • Use bullet format THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

14. Word Sculpting for EPRS and Awards • What is word sculpting? • Consciously choosing each word to convey maximum meaning as briefly and concisely as possible THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

15. Word Sculpting • Wasted Words (search and eliminate) • Examples: (a, an, the, can, is, has, that, these, and which) • Passive verbs are useless • Restructure (say more with less) • When sculpting bullets think • Action words • Impact • Result THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

16. Word Sculpting Cont. • Idea of word sculpting is a powerful product • Answers the “so what” • Provides impact • Impact • What is significant • Who is affected • Why should I care • Quantify • How big • How many • What percent THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

17. Word Sculpting Cont. • Avoid long words • Examples: • Provides with – use provide • Intelligence – use intel • Set the hooks • Use attention getters • Sell the reader • Don’t need to be used on every line THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

18. Word Sculpting Cont. • Power Verbs • Avoid weak verbs like submitted, provided, assisted, etc • Emulate with Implemented, Trained, Revamped. Orchestrated, etc • Keep the focus and direction • Need to ensure we educate the reader on the individuals accomplishment, rather then the event • Don’t leave your reader with questions in their mind as to what his/her conclusion should be THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

19. Word Sculpting Cont. • Ho-Hum Writing • Try to Avoid • Don’t write long bullets • Can the nicknames and acronyms • Wastes Space/too much blank paper THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

20. Word Sculpting Cont. • Pay attention to details • Format and spelling • Capital Letters • Correct use of hyphens • Numbers entry • Unit Designations • If ending is spelled out then use st, d, or th • If it is abbreviated omit the above endings THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

21. Chief’s Thoughts on EPRs • Make sure wording on the back matches marking on the front • Don’t use ratee’s names in the report (Exception senior rater’s block) • Use Bullet Statements • Don’t write sentence • Start each bullet with action verb THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

22. Chief’s Thoughts on EPRs Cont. • Use promotion statements, but don’t make promotion statements because you can • Do not make recommendations for PME, making recommendations for PME shows lack of knowledge for the EPR/PME system • Remember to show the “so what” in each bullet • Should show what person did • How well the person did • What the impact was • Duty Titles are not as important as duty descriptions THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

23. Chief’s Thoughts on EPRs Cont. • Really important to capture person’s responsibilities • How many troops does he/she supervise? • What resources are they responsible for? THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

24. Chief’s Thoughts on EPRs Cont. • If a troop has messed up within the reporting period • Don’t try to cover up when writing the EPR, not fair to other troops • Know when reports are due on the personnel you supervise. DON’T SUBMIT EPRS LATE!!! • When you get the RIP, start writing a bullet a day, instead of waiting till the last minute to try and cram the EPR together • If a troop is not performing up to standards and you have had to counsel, ensure that you document it • Let them know their shortfalls and how they can improve. If they still fall short DOCUMENT!!! • Reflect this documentation honestly when it comes report time THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

25. Chief’s Thoughts on EPRs Cont. • If you need to write a less then stellar report make sure your ducks are in line with the appropriate documentation • If you do have a stellar troop make sure that it is reflected in EPR, it should jump out and grab the reader THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED:

26. UNCLASSIFIED United States Strategic Command United States Strategic Command UNCLASSIFIED