Professional Intern Program
Appendix C:  Oral Report Guidelines for Professional Administrative Employees 

These reports are the culmination of the intern's works on the Levels I and II PIP projects. Each presentation is an opportunity to demonstrate the professional and technical knowledge the intern has acquired and to demonstrate oral communication skills. Professionals are often called upon to demonstrate their oral communication skills at various meetings, either on- or off-Center. For this reason, interns are asked to develop and demonstrate oral presentation skills by presenting the PIP Project Report in an oral presentation. The following are guidelines to assist the intern in preparing the oral presentation.

Timing: The presentation is usually given between the ninth and twelfth month of participation in each level, but may be given as late as the eighteenth month. However, until the presentation is given satisfactorily, the intern is not eligible for promotion.

Presentation Length: The presentation should last 20 to 40 minutes, plus approximately 10 minutes for questions.

Topic Selection: Conception and development of both Levels I and II PIP projects should begin early in each level and, if possible, be identified on the intern's IDP. The topic of each PIP project must be selected by, or in consultation with, the intern's supervisor. Each topic and project should be substantive, related to the intern's assigned work, and expected to stimulate professional development as well as demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired while completing the project.

Preparation: The intern should give "dry runs" of the presentation to the supervisor and co-workers until the intern feels comfortable with the material and the presentation is of a satisfactory length.

The presentation should (a) be to the point; (b) be clearly understandable; (c) initially identify the situation or project; (d) indicate the purpose and objective of the presentation; (e) clearly explain all terms; (f) use simple charts, examples, and forms; and (g) offer resolutions and recommendations.

Panel: The intern and supervisor select the 3-member evaluating panel, which includes:

(1) one person of division level or higher (whenever possible, this should be the intern's division chief) [NOTE:  For participants from Code 500 - The standing chairperson should be someone from the directorate office.  Call the PIP Coordinator if you are unsure of who that is.  In the cases of Codes 550 and 580, the chairperson is the Division Chief, and the person from the Directorate office serves as a fourth member of the panel.];

(2) one person outside the intern's division; and

(3) any person who is a subject-matter expert

Select panel members who would be interested in the topic and willing to offer supportive comments.

The intern's supervisor and the PIP Coordinator also attend, but do not rate the intern.

Evaluation Criteria: The intern's presentations are evaluated on the basis of:

(1) contribution to Goddard;

(2) organization of material;

(3) professional and technical knowledge;

(4) communication skills; and

(5) complexity of subject matter

Refer to the rating form included in this appendix for further data on the criteria. A passing score must be achieved to successfully complete this requirement. If this is not achieved, the intern must revise the presentation and give it again satisfactorily before the end of the eighteenth month of participation in the current level.

Procedure: Once the intern has informally asked the panel members and PIP Coordinator by phone, e-mail, or in person, to attend the presentation and they agree, the intern must confirm the date, time, location, and title of presentation by memorandum or e-mail to all panel members with a copy to the supervisor and the PIP Coordinator, Code 114, at least one week before the presentation.

The PIP Coordinator or other representative from the Career Development and Employee Worklife Office brings the evaluation forms and certificate of completion form to the presentation and makes brief, general introductory remarks.

The supervisor introduces the intern and tells the audience about the intern's time in the program, major responsibilities, amount of independence and effort that went into preparing the report, and some history of how the topic was selected.

At the beginning of the presentation, the intern identifies the topic and indicates whether or not he or she will entertain questions during the presentation or if questions are to be held until the end of the presentation.

The PIP Project written report should generally be distributed to the panel members and PIP Coordinator after the presentation, but it or copies of viewgraphs or charts may be distributed before the presentation if the intern believes it to be useful for the panel to have these available for reference during the presentation. Five copies (one for each panel member, the supervisor, and the PIP Coordinator) of all materials are required.

When the presentation is completed and the question-and-answer period is over, the intern and any other guests leave the room while the panel completes the evaluation. The supervisor may stay for the evaluation, but should not influence the panel member's decisions. The supervisor benefits from hearing the discussion and can then share this information with the intern. The PIP Coordinator also is present during the evaluation to assist panel members in completing the forms and answer any questions they may have about the evaluation procedure.

When the evaluations are completed, the intern is called back into the room. The chairperson (the highest-ranking panel member) reviews all comments offered by the panel members. In addition, the PIP Coordinator advises the panel and supervisor of the intern's status in the program and indicates any outstanding requirements for the intern's current level.

Finally, the chairperson and supervisor sign the presentation forms and submit them to the PIP Coordinator, and copies are made and given to the intern.