Application
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to prepare and perform a funeral ceremony in the absence of clergy or a celebrant according to the needs of clients, including making a funeral ceremony address. The unit applies to funeral-conducting staff and involves working autonomously with a high level of responsibility and according to work health and safety, relevant legislation and workplace policies and procedures.
No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENTS | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Plan funeral ceremonies. | 1.1 Liaise with clients to plan and develop an appropriate funeral ceremony. 1.2 Collaborate with funeral personnel to identify and confirm funeral ceremony arrangements and requirements. 1.3 Liaise with ceremony participants to identify individual roles. 1.4 Identify and organise required resources. |
2. Prepare ceremonial addresses. | 2.1 Determine required length of address according to funeral arrangements and client requirements. 2.2 Review available information on the deceased. 2.3 Incorporate public speaking techniques to enhance quality of ceremonial address. 2.4 Prepare and review address with clients and colleagues. |
3. Perform funeral ceremonies. | 3.1 Deliver address according to appropriate public speaking strategies and agreed timeframe. 3.2 Take account of ceremony participants according to agreed funeral ceremony arrangements. 3.3 Close funeral ceremony according to agreed funeral ceremony arrangements. |
4. Review funeral ceremonies. | 4.1 Request client feedback and review responses. 4.2 Reflect on own performance and note areas for improvement and appropriate strategies. 4.3 Record and report evaluation. |
Evidence of Performance
Evidence of the ability to:
liaise with appropriate family members and friends of the deceased and funeral personnel to establish relevant information in order to prepare appropriate funeral ceremony
communicate with the bereaved according to funeral services industry protocols and parameters
identify and organise required resources
use effective public speaking techniques to sensitively deliver appropriate funeral speeches according to client requirements and required timeframes
evaluate ceremony based on client feedback.
Evidence of performance of planning and conducting funeral ceremonies of diverse client requests on five or more occasions is required to demonstrate consistency of performance and ability to respond to different situations.
Evidence of Knowledge
Demonstrated knowledge of:
roles and responsibilities of the range of funeral services personnel and external contractors and agencies involved in funeral ceremonies
features of ceremony requirements, including but not restricted to:
committal style:
burial
inurnment
cremation
entombment
memorial service
selection of text readings or scriptures
public acknowledgment of deceased
choice of speakers or readers
inclusion of work and community colleagues
placing special personal effects with the deceased
use of music
audiovisual, such as videos or DVDs
use of lighting
placement of candles
choice and placement of flowers
photographs
special locations:
outdoors
private home
cemetery
crematorium
resources required conducting funeral ceremonies
processes for burial and inurnment
social, religious and cultural differences and traditions that impact on conducting a funeral ceremony
professional funeral services industry parameters and protocols in dealing with the bereaved and the deceased
workplace policies and procedures regarding performing funeral celebrancy
techniques that allows for effective public speaking, including:
methods for managing nerves:
centred breathing
practising material
checking environment and facilities
positive thinking
tone, pitch and volume of voice
pace of delivery
use of body language and eye contact
purpose and benefits of formal and informal client feedback mechanisms.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must be demonstrated in a funeral home, cemetery or crematoria workplace where a funeral address can be delivered to an audience and where friends or family members of the deceased can participate:
using suitable equipment and resources, including:
a sound system
under industry conditions where there is:
integration of tasks with possible interruptions to work typical of the job role
interaction with clients and funeral personnel
Assessors must satisfy the NVR/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.
Foundation Skills
This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential to performance.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Sectors
Funeral Directing
Competency Field
Funeral Operations