301st Airmen recognize a written word's power

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Samantha Mathison
  • 301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas --  Nearly 50 Airmen from the 301st Fighter Wing attended a writing skills class Jan. 11 to improve their performance report craftsmanship.

Five speakers familiar with bullet writing gave tips on ways to improve from bullet construction to Air Force Instruction references to common pitfalls.

"People are very comfortable talking about their strengths but they're not comfortable in discussing their weaknesses and making themselves more vulnerable," said Senior Master Sgt. Shon Saye, the Human Resources Development Council member who spearheaded the class.

Tech. Sgt. Robert Catts, a 301st Communications Squadron network infrastructure technician, attended the writing skills class and found it beneficial.

"The class gave us a lot of useful resources. It was useful to meet the experts and know that we can go to one place to find everything," Catts said.

Master Sgt. Barbara Therrien, former executive assistant for the 301st Fighter Wing commander, was one of the speakers.  Having reviewed more than 2,000 officer and enlisted performance reports, Therrien gave Airmen insight on some of writing pitfalls - like lack of review and attention to detail.

At least four or five people should review an OPR or EPR to catch errors, she explained to the class.

Yet, reports that touched the wing commander's desk still contained errors.

Maj. Kevin Clinton, the HRDC co-chairman, understands the far-reaching effects of good writing.

"The EPR/OPR process enables Airmen to highlight their achievements while serving as a vessel to provide valuable feedback to others. That feedback is critical as we develop today's Airmen for tomorrow's needs," Clinton said.

Practice in writing and communication can be beneficial in other areas of life, too.

"It helps you as a reservist in resume writing, because an EPR can prove you're a good candidate but you also have to convince civilian employers that you're good for their positions as well," said Catts. "So the whole exercise of writing good EPRs could be the difference between a $30,000 job and an $80,000 job, depending on how you write that resume."

Attendees also received numerous writing handouts to assist in honing their skills.

"Our Airmen will carry the tools we teach them to other bases. So, not only will this class improve the 301st Fighter Wing, it will improve the U.S. Air Force and transfer invaluable skills to our civilian employers," Clinton said.

The idea for the class arose after problems with performance writing came up during the council meetings.

"HRDC wanted to get involved, not to remedy the situation, but to communicate to all of the squadrons and units to say, 'Ok, we've got to get a better handle'", Saye said. "If the HRDC can introduce the wing to the subject matter experts, or just put them in the right hands, then that's a great start."

For more information on the next class, contact your unit HRDC representative.