Fun staff activity: after a few months of training and deployment, my brigade staff leaders and I shared enough inside jokes and recurring observations to fill a few bingo cards. We discreetly filled them out during staff meetings.
It wasn’t the most mission-focused thing we’d done, but we were pros and managed to balance the monotony, and levity, with real ops.*
It’s human nature to seek humor, and irony, in others’ patterns. The PAO is a vocal leader within the organization – your colleagues will hear you communicate often. What will they laugh about in your patterns?
In other words: what’s on your bingo card?
- Your verbal ticks and body language are part of who you are … but when they overshadow the value of your content, you’ll probably lose your audience.
- Our words and phrases can either breed comfort or contempt. Deployed to Kosovo, I was strict in all talking points that my unit’s mission was only to ensure “a safe and secure environment” and “freedom of movement.” I repeated “SASE and FOM” at every opportunity … and trained others to, as well. I’m glad the phrase would’ve been on my bingo card, because it was important to our mission.
- Along the same vein, forever lines are only forever if they don’t become boring. Before you become annoyingly predictable, find new ways to say the same thing, maybe by adding new information or a fresh connection to the day’s news.
- Let’s watch for tone, and the way we interact. What do people hear from you often? Do you complain about the weather? Do we hear too much about your kids? Do you consistently shit on your staff members, or gossip about other PAOs, behind their backs? “Where are you going next, Bob?” Are you an “If Only” kind of guy? It’s bad when others expect this from your interactions … it’s worse to deliver on their expectations.
*I’m not recommending the PAO create jokey bingo cards in their units. Far from it, although it’s great if you have respectful and fun relationships with other primary staff members.
(Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Shannon D. Barnwell, DVIDS)
