Competency Category:

Professional Practice

Competency Series:

8 - Communication

8.6 – Deliver Presentations

Purpose & Context

Career Development Professionals (CDPs) deliver presentations to inform, explain and persuade others.

Effective Performance

Competent career development professionals must be able to:

P1. Identify purpose of presentation
P2. Identify audience, e.g. knowledge of subject matter, level of interest in the information presented
P3. Research topic, e.g. conduct primary and secondary research, review background materials
P4. Prioritize content to be presented, e.g. identify key points
P5. Select presentation and formats, e.g. video, PowerPoint
P6. Structure content, e.g. create outline, present information in coherent and logical sequence, conclusion
P7. Design presentation, for example:
- Select template
- Use photos and graphics
- Keep colour schemes consistent
- Format for readability, e.g. adjust font size
- Limit information to key points, i.e. do not clutter, one idea per slide
P8. Create support materials, e.g. speaking notes
P9. Practice delivery of presentation, e.g. keep within allocated time, memorize script
P10. Prepare for presentation:
- Arrive early
- Test technology
P11. Deliver presentation:
- Vary volume, pace, and tone
- Tailor communication to audience
- Interact with audience, e.g. maintain eye contact, allow time for questions, seek comments from audience,
  monitor chat function
P12. Obtain feedback from audience, e.g. structured survey
P13. Follow up as required, e.g. obtain feedback, find answers to questions asked after presentation
P14. Revise presentation as required

Knowledge & Understanding

Competent career development professionals must know and understand:

K1. Presentation software applications

Contextual Variables

Competent career development professionals must be able to perform this competency in the following range of contexts:

Participants/audiences will vary and this may affect the tone of the communication, e.g. formal or informal.

Glossary & Key References

Terms

Industry-specific terms contained in the standard defined here, where applicable.

None

Information Sources and Resources for Consideration

None

Context Rating Scales

Criticality

Q: What is the consequence of a professional being unable to perform this skill according to the standard?

Minimal risk: SOMEWHAT CRITICAL

Frequency

Q: How frequent and under what conditions is this skill performed?

Circumstantially, e.g. per project, when a specific event arises

Level of Difficulty

Q: Under routine circumstances, how would you rate the level of difficulty in performing this skill?

Moderate difficulty or complexity

Time Required to Gain Proficiency

Q: What is the average length of time or number of repeated events that are minimally necessary for an individual to become proficient in performing the skill to the standard?

A competent career development professional requires the experience of delivering a minimum of 20 presentations on a variety of topics, for varied purposed and to a range of audience profiles.

Autonomy

Practitioners typically perform this competency without supervision, and alone.

Automation

It is unlikely that this competency will automate.

Requisite Work Aids, Tools, Equipment or Materials

Various standardized presentation tools, as needed

Our Purpose

Thank you for being a part of the Career Development Professional Centre. To ensure that all members have the best possible experience, we have a few ground rules that we ask everyone to adhere to. This code of conduct applies equally to every person in the community and is intended to foster an online space that is inclusive, safe, and welcoming to all.

Centre Rules

Be welcoming

We strive to be a place that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. We aim to be a place that promotes excellence and innovation in career and workforce development. Please extend respect to all members; we all come from different backgrounds and levels of knowledge and there is no such thing as a stupid question.

Be respectful

We won’t all agree all the time, but when we disagree don’t let those disagreements turn into personal attacks. A place where people feel uncomfortable or threatened will not be a productive one. When having discussions in the online community, commenting on a library article, or participating in other Centre activities, strive for productive conversations around the content being presented, not the person behind the content. Any comments determined to be “hate speech” towards any individual or group will be deleted, and the user account may be locked until an investigation regarding the comment has been concluded. The user may be given a written warning or removed from the CPDC platform depending on the findings of the investigation.

Hate Speech could include and is not limited to:

Violent threats or language directed against another person

Discriminatory jokes, language, or materials

Defamatory or abusive language or materials

Profane or illegal materials

Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior

A good rule of thumb is to never say anything that you wouldn’t be comfortable with the world seeing or that you wouldn’t want anyone knowing came from you. We ask that you keep in mind the focus of this place, which is building excellence and innovation in career and workforce development for all individuals.

Be considerate of the purpose of the Centre

The Centre focuses on building excellence and discussing innovation in the career and workforce development field. The goal of the social learning community is to communicate goals, challenges, constructive feedback, and questions in relation to career and workforce development. The Centre should be a place for continued learning and development as well as a place to discuss the future of our field (solicitation without written consent by the Project or Advisory team, is strictly prohibited). Any post or comment that is determined to be soliciting any individual or group will be deleted, and the user account may be locked until an investigation regarding the post has been concluded. The user may be given a written warning or removed from the CPDC platform depending on the findings of the investigation.

Post your discussions or documents in the most appropriate group or topic

Especially within the social learning community, make reasonable efforts to ensure that posts and materials are allocated to the appropriate group or topic. This will prevent cluttering the feed and make it easier for everyone to find the information that they are seeking. Individuals who do this repeatedly will be contacted by one of the group admins and asked to follow these guidelines.