Using Action verbs can help make your job objectives and elements clearer

Using Action Verbs when

writing your Self-Assessment

Writing effective Objectives and Assessments

Spring 2010

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Incorporating verbiage in your self-assessment that fully and accurately describes your

accomplishments is important in order to foster a mutual understanding between you

and your rating official/supervisor about your performance. This understanding on your

contributions over the evaluation period can set the stage for a discussion about what

you achieved and how you achieved it. Using action verbs can make it easier for you to

address each of your job objectives and elements and make the information clearer and

more concise for your rating official/supervisor. Below are tips and examples of action

verbs you might use for capturing accomplishments associated with your objectives and

performance elements.

Tips

• Use clear, concise statements written in the first person, active voice. Put the

"action" verb and the "doer" of the action at the beginning of the sentence.

• Avoid using passive verb forms often found at the end of long sentences.

• Avoid using - they - them - plan - agencies - organizations - or other such

"generic words" without first specifying who or what you are writing about.

• Avoid bureaucratic buzzwords.

• Spell out acronyms the first time they are used on a page, but avoid using

them excessively.

• Use words that highlight how you accomplished your objectives and how you

contributed to the team/organizational effort.

• Avoid statements that describe your personal beliefs or philosophies; focus

on specific challenges and results achieved through your actions and/or

leadership.

• Quantify and provide examples as evidence of your accomplishments.

• Avoid repeated use of the same example.

• Include recent education and training that enhanced your skills.

• Include special assignments (e.g., details, task forces, committees).

Examples of action verbs

Action verbs are provided below, using the standard performance elements

as categories because they apply to all DCIPS employees. These categories can

also aid in identifying action verbs supportive of individual SMART objectives.

Accountability for Results Administer, Adopt, Advise, Analyze, Anticipate,

Appraise, Approve, Arrange, Assemble, Assign, Assume, Assure, Authorize,

Calculate, Circulate, Clean, Clear, Collaborate, Collect, Compile, Concur,

Conduct, Confer, Consolidate, Construct, Consult, Control, Coordinate,

Correlate, Correspond, Debug, Delegate, Deliver, Design, Determine, Develop,

Devise, Direct, Discuss, Dispose, Disseminate, Distribute, Draft., Endorse,

Establish, Estimate, Evaluate, Execute, Exercise, Exert, Expedite, Formulate,

Furnish, Implement, Improve, Initiate, Inspect, Install, Interpret, Investigate,

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Writing effective objectives and self assessments

Spring 2010

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Issue, Maintain, Monitor, Notify, Operate, Participate, Perform, Place, Plan,

Practice, Prepare, Proceed, Process, Promote, Propose, Provide, Recommend,

Repair, Represent, Report, Research, Review, Revise, Schedule, Secure,

Select, Sign, Sort, Specify, Stimulate, Submit, Supervise, Train, Transcribe,

Verify, Write.

Communication Address, Advertise, Arbitrate, Arrange, Articulate, Author,

Clarify, Collaborate, Communicate, Compose, Condense, Confer, Consult,

Contact, Convey, Convince, Correspond, Debate, Define, Develop, Direct,

Discuss, Draft, Edit, Elicit, Enlist, Explain, Express, Formulate, Furnish,

Incorporate, Influence, Interact, Interpret, Interview, Involve, Join, Judge, Lecture,

Listen, Market, Mediate, Moderate, Negotiate, Observe, Outline, Participate,

Persuade, Present, Promote, Propose, Publicize, Reconcile, Recruit, Refer,

Reinforce, Report, Resolve, Respond, Solicit, Specify, Speak, Suggest,

Summarize, Synthesize, Translate, Write.

Critical Thinking Act, Adapt, Begin, Combine, Compose, Conceptualize,

Condense, Create, Customize, Design, Develop, Direct, Display, Draw,

Entertain, Establish, Fashion, Formulate, Find, Illustrate, Initiate, Institute,

Integrate, Introduce, Invent, Model, Modify, Originate, Perform, Plan, Revise,

Revitalize, Shape, Solve.

Engagement and Collaboration Add, Advise, Aid, Anticipate, Arrange, Assess,

Assist, Attend, Create, Counsel, Construct, Contribute, Deliver, Demonstrate ,

Design, Develop, Discover, Elaborate, Encourage , Export, Facilitate, Find, Help,

Improve, Generate, Guide, Lead, Mediate, Motivate, Organize, Represent, Start,

Serve, Unify, Unite.

Personal Leadership and Integrity; Leadership Administer, Analyze, Appoint,

Approve, Assign, Attain, Authorize, Chair, Consider, Consolidate, Contract,

Control, Convert, Coordinate, Decide, Delegate, Develop, Direct, Eliminate,

Emphasize, Enforce, Enhance, Establish, Execute, Generate, Handle, Head,

Hire, Host, Improve, Incorporate, Increase, Initiate, Inspect, Institute, Lead,

Manage, Merge, Motivate, Navigate, Organize, Originate, Overhaul, Oversee,

Plan, Preside, Prioritize, Produce, Recommend, Reorganize, Replace, Restore,

Review, Schedule, Secure, Select, Streamline, Strengthen, Supervise,

Terminate.

Managerial Proficiency Achieve, Administer, Analyze, Appoint, Approve,

Assign, Attain, Authorize, Chair, Conceive, Consider, Consolidate, Contract,

Control, Convert, Coordinate, Decide, Delegate, Develop, Direct, Eliminate,

Emphasize, Encourage, Enforce, Enhance, Establish, Evaluate, Execute,

Improve, Generate, Handle, Head, Hire, Host, Implement, Improve, Incorporate,

Increase, Initiate, Inspect, Inspire, Institute, Launch, Lead, Manage, Merge,

Motivate. Navigate, Organize, Originate, Overhaul, Oversee, Plan, Preside,

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Writing effective objectives and self assessments

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Prioritize, Produce, Recommend, Reevaluate, Reject, Reorganize, Replace,

Report, Restore, Review, Schedule, Secure, Select, Streamline, Strengthen,

Supervise, Terminate, Unite.

Technical Expertise Activate, Adapt, Alter, Analyze, Apply, Approve, Arrange,

Assemble, Build, Calculate, Catalogue, Clarify, Classify, Collect, Compare,

Compute, Compile, Conduct, Conserve, Construct, Convert, Critique, Debug,

Describe, Design, Detect, Determine, Develop, Diagnose, Dispatch, Edit,

Engineer, Evaluate, Examine, Execute, Experiment, Explore, Extract, Fabricate,

Formulate, Fortify, Gather, Generate, Implement, Inspect, Install, Interview,

Invent, Investigate, Locate, List, Maintain, Measure, Monitor, Observe, Operate,

Organize, Overhaul, Prepare, Print, Program, Process, Proofread, Rectify,

Record, Reduce, Regulate, Remodel, Repair, Replace, Research, Restore,

Retrieve, Review, Search, Screen, Solve, Specify, Specialize, Standardize,

Streamline, Study, Summarize, Survey, Systematize, Upgrade, Utilize.

Need More Information?

For additional resources to assist with writing performance objectives and self-

assessments, visit the DCIPS website:

• Performance Standards:

http://dcips.dtic.mil/documents/IC_Performance_Standards_23Apr09_Final.pdf

• “DCIPS 101”Training:

http://dcips.dtic.mil/swat2/courses/DCIPS/DCIPS_101/distrib/index.htm?emailAd

dr=mailto:[email protected]

• “iSuccess: http://dcips.dtic.mil/iSuccess/

The following DCIPS training courses are also available and can be schedule through

your component training manager – “Understanding Performance Management,”

Managing Performance,” and “Driving Performance Through Dialogue.”

To keep current with DCIPS:

• Visit the DCIPS website http://dcips.dtic.mil

and check out the What’s New?

section for the latest information.

• Contact your human resources servicing organization.