FireNuggets, Inc
July 2017
asked to present material to their employees and
presentation panel who will be their audience.
the public, on a regular basis. A Company Officer
During that oral presentation, the candidate may
is going to be
be given 10 to 30
providing daily
minutes, usually about
training to their
15 minutes, to discuss
Try
to
involve
all
of
your
raters/evaluators
in
your
personnel, and they
a certain topic with
presentation by asking them questions. Work the
need to have
the raters who will
audience….
excellent presentation
then ask them follow-
skills to ensure they
up questions. You will
are successfully
either be given a
getting their message to their personnel and that
specific topic to discuss, or may be given the
their personnel are retaining the material. A
latitude to choose your own topic. If they select
Company Officer is also going to be leading public the topic, it is probably a current, hot button topic.
education presentations, station tours, and similar
Regardless of the topic, there is no right answers
events, where they are going to making
or right things to say. Your goal is to demonstrate
presentations.
you can effectively communicate orally, and that
you are also comfortable talking in front of others,
A Chief Officer is going to be making
while representing the department in the highest
presentations to their staff members and
way possible.
supervisors on a regular basis, to their elected
officials, and to the public on a regular basis. The
SOME THINGS TO REMEMBER (KEY POINTS)
Company Officer and the Chief Officer need to
ABOUT THE ORAL PRESENTATION:
remember that they are always representing their
• If something is provided to you in the
employer, and they need to be on their best
preparation room, it is probably there for a
behavior. A fire department's reputation and
reason. Make sure you try to use everything
credibility is created and maintained by its
provided to you, at least once. For example,
members. It can also be destroyed or set back
they may provide a conference pad / easel
significantly by its members who are not acting
pad to you. Even if you just use it to put your
professionally or in the best interest of the
name and the name of your topic on it, you
department or its customers.
will most likely some points for that portion of
Some departments specifically have an oral
the test.
presentation or a teaching demonstration (you
• Make sure you stick to your time frame. If they
should approach both in a similar fashion, even
give you a specific time frame, stick to it
though they are slightly different) within their
carefully. Going over or under the time frame
promotional assessment center to evaluate a
may fail you, or cause you to lose valuable
candidate’s ability to effectively communicate
points. Also, not sticking to the time frame
orally, and also represent the department in the
shows that you cannot properly manage time.
best way possible.
• Try to involve all of your raters/evaluators in
For an oral presentation, the candidate will
your presentation by asking them questions.
typically have a short time (15 minutes or 30
Work the audience, to ensure they understand
minutes) frame to prepare in a separate room,
what you have to say.
before they are introduced to the raters of the oral
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