Contribute to the evaluation
and improvement of awareness raising and community action in relation to crime.
Given the context of this unit the main body of work undertaken includes the construction and execution of a presentation to a community body. The opportunity to complete this unit arose when a fellow colleague, CC, informed me that there had been a request from our SPO to produce a presentation effectively selling the Probation Service. The target group in this instance were a group of careers officers who wanted to know about the Service and what it had to offer. Essentially these officers would in turn be selling the Probation Service to those seeking to choose a career, therefore the importance of providing a comprehensive, effective presentation was paramount.
My initial feelings were to reject the proposal, thinking that it was too soon to be thinking about NVQ units and that there was not enough time to prepare the necessary work to satisfy unit B103. However after having a little time to think about it, it became apparent that I was, at some stage, going to have to undertake a presentation. Furthermore the fact that this offer would occur in a couple of weeks gave me little time to reflect on my nervousness and apprehension of the occasion. Standing in front of a group and presenting is an anxious event for most to undertake, and I am no exception. Yet the importance of completing this task for the NVQ qualification overrides such feelings and thus my final decision was to complete the presentation with CC.
Having undertaken presentations before, largely through university based study; I knew what my weaknesses were from the critical feedback of lecturers. These ‘negative aspects’ of my presentation skills were corrected in conjunction with the feedback I received. I therefore knew the importance of not fidgeting when my colleagues were speaking, of maintaining eye contact with the audience when speaking and presenting information clearly and concisely. This learning and development of presentation skills has resulted in me being a fairly competent public speaker and I knew at this point that I had to draw on such skills for the up and coming presentation on behalf of the Probation Service.
As we were given little time to prepare for this presentation myself and CC had to put aside time not simply to produce it, but to discuss the aims and objectives of the presentation, that is what we were trying to achieve. Our initial discussion focused on the role of careers officers, and what information they would need in order to convey the appropriate information to those who may wish to seek a career in the Service. However we agreed that the presentation would also aim to give the target audience not merely the information they need to know, but a basic knowledge of the service. The discussion lead on to the type of sections we should include, with particular reference to two key points…
- Selling the Probation Service
- Conveying the information we felt careers officer needed to know.
This initial brain storming resulted in myself and CC agreeing that we should give the Probation Service a context, that is explain its conception and how it has changed throughout its history to what we now perceive to be the modern day Probation Service. We also agreed that the structure of the service (in terms of hierarchy and pay) would also need to be included, along with the opportunities, responsibilities of and challenges that lay ahead for any one wanting a career in the Service. It was my wish to also include a section devoted to the application process. The reason for this was that it was such a lengthy, drawn out process that required more than simply filling out an application form, and therefore needed some kind of explanation. Furthermore I felt it necessary for the careers officers to fully inform those interested in the posts just how challenging and lengthy the application process was. CC agreed with my reasoning. This initial meeting was the first step in constructing a presentation, but although our collaboration of ideas had proved fruitful we now had to take these ideas and structure them into an informative, flowing presentation.
Having completed our initial brainstorming session we had constructed the idea that both myself and CC would gather any relevant information deemed necessary for the production of this presentation. Having previously acknowledged that I would definitely be undertaking the sections of ‘The history of the Probation Service’ and the ‘Application Process’ I had a concrete starting point within which to gather the relevant information. Having looked at the history of the service in a module at university, ‘Punishment in the community,’ (taught by two ex Probation Officers) my first reading point was in my old folders. I used Probation Journal articles (i.e. The origins of a humanitarian service (Vol 51 Pp. 34 March 2004)) to iron out any discrepancies and began to formulate a time line on the evidence provided. What I had not allowed for at this point were the more recent changes undertaken by the Probation Service, and most importantly NOMS (National Offender Management Service). However using key notes from the Probation Service Database and the government produced ‘Setting the Pace-how the National Probation Service has delivered A New Choreography (2004 Pp.1) I was able to gather the relevant data for the time-line. A further aid in creating an accurate time line was my knowledge of important legislation surrounding the Service, for example the 1991 Criminal Justice Act, National Standards and the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act. The reading surrounding the history of the service was also important in answering any questions the target audience may have.
The application process section was an area that would follow logical steps, from first registering an interest through to an offer of employment. The importance of this section within the presentation cannot be underestimated, as indeed it was my belief that this block of information is something the target audience need to be fully aware of. Being a first year trainee I decided that I would entwine my own experiences of the process with the facts of applying to become trainee, and what the traineeship had to offer. Having reflected on the application process I felt that it could be broken down into the following….
- The application form
- Assessment centre (Stage 1)
- Assessment Centre (Stage 2)
- Offer of employment
- The traineeship
By recounting the process on a personal level and incorporating the necessary facts through reading the application process material this was a section that I would be very effective in.
Our second meeting was aimed at putting our ideas onto paper and structuring the presentation. Prior to this meeting I had gathered information for the sections we had noted from our previous get-together. Information on pay, hierarchical structures within the service and its history were all sections that needed accurate data and information. I found this process to be relatively straightforward as I had access to a wealth of literature related to the academic part of my traineeship. Furthermore I had access to the IT systems within the workplace and use of the Internet.
The result of these two preliminary meetings was a seven part presentation which would be covered by myself and CC.
The third aspect of planning involved myself and CC meeting and presenting dummy runs. To do this we used an empty room and each of us watched the other present their sections. On reflection I felt that it would probably have been more appropriate to present it in front of other colleagues for a more collective feedback. The problems we had was not being able to concentrate on the links between each section, and therefore we could not observe the flow of the presentation as a whole. As we constructed the contact it would also have been advisable for a third party to sit back, listen and consequently comment on the presentation as a whole.
With the process of planning complete I now had to prepare myself for the presentation itself. It had been decided from the start that we would attend smartly dressed. Mentally however I had to clear my mind of any other work that I may have had on my mind and concentrate solely on the presentation.
The presentation itself took place in the open university building in Leeds. As this presentation was part of my NVQ module I had asked my PDA to come along and observe my role in the process. Naturally I was nervous about the presentation itself, but the added knowledge that my PDA was in attendance only added to my anxiety. Upon arrival we had to wait for a meeting to finish which when sat around again adds to the tension of the situation. Upon entry to the meeting room there were around ten individuals whom I perceived to be the target audience of careers officers. I handed the feedback form around the room and the presentation began. The introductions were completed and it was then my turn to open the presentation with the history of the Service. At this point I was very tense and this was reflected in my manner of speaking. I spoke very quickly and my mind went blank as to what I should say. My only salvation at this point was the overhead sheet which outlined history through a timeline. I found myself looking back at it more and reading from it as opposed to the greater detail I gave each point in our mock runs. On reflection this section was the worst of the whole presentation in terms of content I had left out and the speed at which I conveyed the information. However upon the completion of this section I knew how I had been perceived and told myself to slow down and relax.
The following section were spoken more clearly and slowly, and is the presentation went on I began to relax and engage in far more eye contact with the target group. By the time I had reached the application section I felt confident and spoke without referring to the overhead support. The conclusion of the presentation ended with questions and I felt that both myself and CC answered the questions asked comprehensively and fully. Furthermore we worked as a team in that we knew who was best positioned to answer what questions, and backed each other up when we needed to. One particular question asked whether it was only young people who entered the service. I answered that by stating many of our trainees could be classed as ‘mature,’ and that the Probation Service operates an anti-discriminatory policy, and that those older trainees were enjoying the trainee experience as much as the younger ones. Furthermore I informed the target group to encourage and support those more ‘mature’ interested individuals to apply for the service. The presentation ended with the collection of the evaluation forms, which I reminded everyone to fill out before we left.
Following the presentation my PDA informed me that we would have a debriefing session, with the purpose of evaluating the presentation and identifying any improvements that could have been made.
Myself and my PDA discussed the presentation and the session took the format of primarily looking at it critically. Initially it was my PDA’s belief that cue cards would have been better than simply reading from overheads. I agreed with her to an extent in that it would have given the presentation more of a defined structure and kept our heads directed at the target audience. However I added that I found it impractical as we have overheads behind us that we had to refer to, and that I felt cue cards would have made the presentation more rigid. I felt that eye contact and a type of ad lib language would engage with the target audience more than a robotic regurgitation of information. The second criticism I leveled at the presentation was the issue of questions. Myself and CC should have made the target audience aware that questions should be asked at the end of the presentation. However by not doing that, questions were directed at numerous intervals and to an extent that threw myself and CC.
A further critical perspective, which on reflection I feel to be a valid point, was the fact that no paper information was left with the target group. I felt that we could have left information regarding contacting the organization, and maybe even a copy of the application form. However I felt that the lack of time given to prepare this presentation played a key role in the emission of further information. Lastly myself and my PDA discussed the fact that myself and CC left fairly quickly following the presentation. It was felt that we could have stayed a little longer incase any one wanted to approach us individually to discuss anything related to the presentation. Again I felt the point to be a valid one.
Despite the critical points mentioned above I felt that overall the presentation went well, and achieved the aims and objectives it set out. This was reflected by a letter I received from the organiser of the event, which thanked us for a ‘first class presentation’ and that we ‘managed to cover precisely the topics which as careers staff we need to know more about.’ This was further supported by the results gained from the feedback forms. On a scale of one to ten each careers officers was asked to measure how much they knew before and after the presentation. Scale 1 would indicate the individual knew nothing about the service, 5 would mean they knew a fair amount and 10 meant they knew everything they needed to know. Of the 10 who participated the average before the presentation was 3.4, indicating little was known. After the presentation the average score had climbed to 7.7. This would indicate that the target group had gained much knowledge and information on the Probation Service and that the presentation had been effective.
As for future recommendations for similar events I feel that taking along an information pack for each group member would be beneficial. This would include contact details for the service, an outline of the presentation and an application pack. However I felt the content of the presentation should remain unchanged, as should the co-working of a Trainee Probation Officer with a qualified Officer.
So what are the learning outcomes of such an activity? I mentioned earlier that I had received feedback on past presentations and corrected the negative aspects of my presentation skills. This was again no exception. One particular criticism directed at me on the basis of this piece of work was that I faced the overheads too much, and thus had my back to the audience. I felt that this was true to an extent and that is something I will address in future situations. Ultimately I have learned how important it is to be aware of those whom I represent. In this instant I represented West Yorkshire Probation Service and I had to take the responsibility of selling the service to a community group. On reflection I failed to gauge the importance of these two things, not in terms of neglect but rather in terms of not registering the above facts. It is my belief that I represented the service in an effective and appropriate manner, and will continue to do so in future events.
This leads me to the way in which this piece of work will affect future practice. Ultimately this presentation has taught me one fundamental thing-not everyone knows what the Probation is and what it does. This is something that negates my previous opinion, that is that everyone knew what the Probation Service did. It has taught me that I will need to explain to people in varying situations who I am, who I represent and what I do-I cannot simply rely on them knowing what a Probation Officer is. Essentially reflective practice aids an individual to look back and assess themselves in certain situations. Furthermore it gives one the opportunity to change/alter the things that didn’t go quite so well. This is no more apparent than in this NVQ module-and I have learned a lot about myself and those around me, and become more aware about my future conduct in similar situations.
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