This unit applies to funeral-conducting staff and involves working autonomously with a high level of responsibility. It requires the application of planning and communication skills to develop and deliver effective funeral ceremony speeches.

Nil

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1

Plan funeral ceremony.

1.1

Liaise with clients to plan and develop an appropriate funeral ceremony.

1.2

Liaise 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 according to workplace policies and procedures.

2

Prepare ceremonial address.

2.1

Determine required length of address according to funeral arrangements and client requirements.

2.2

Review available information on the deceased.

2.3

Identify public speaking techniques to enhance quality of ceremonial address.

2.4

Prepare and review address with clients and colleagues according to workplace policies and procedures.

3

Perform funeral ceremony.

3.1

Deliver address according to appropriate public speaking strategies and agreed timeframe.

3.2

Include ceremony participants according to agreed funeral ceremony arrangements.

3.3

Close funeral ceremony according to agreed funeral ceremony arrangements.

4

Review funeral ceremony.

4.1

Request client feedback and review according to workplace policies and procedures.

4.2

Reflect on own performance and note areas for improvement and appropriate strategies.

4.3

Record and report evaluation according to workplace policies and procedures.

Required skills

communication skills, including clear and direct communication and active listening and questioning techniques, to develop knowledge of the deceased and make effective public presentations during funeral ceremonies

planning skills to develop structured funeral ceremony presentations according to required timeframe

organisational skills to identify and organise required resources

literacy and numeracy skills to develop and review written funeral speeches and meet agreed timeframes for performance of ceremony

interpersonal skills to relate to people from a range of social, cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities

customer service skills, including ability to maintain confidentiality of client information.

Required knowledge

burial and inurnment procedures

social, religious and cultural differences and traditions

professional funeral services industry parameters and protocols in dealing with the bereaved and the deceased

workplace policies and procedures regarding performing funeral celebrancy.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the following is essential:

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

sensitive communication with the bereaved according to funeral services industry protocols and parameters

identification and organisation of required resources

effective public speaking techniques to sensitively deliver appropriate funeral speeches according to client requirements and required timeframes

planning and conducting funeral ceremonies on multiple occasions to ensure consistency of performance and ability to respond to different situations.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

demonstration of skills in an environment where a funeral address can be delivered to an audience and where friends or family members of the deceased can participate

interaction with clients

access to resources, such as a sound system.

Methods of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

observation of candidate liaising with relevant parties to establish client requirements and relevant resources and delivering an effective funeral ceremony speech

review of prepared funeral ceremony speeches that address client requirements

review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

SIFIND001B Work effectively in the funeral services industry.

Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Clients may include:

immediate family

extended family

friends

designated people

service groups, such as Returned and Services League (RSL) or Masonic Lodge.

Funeral personnel may include:

funeral director

funeral arranger

transfer staff

cemetery or crematorium staff

church or chapel coordinator.

Funeral ceremony arrangements may include:

committal style, such as:

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, such as:

outdoors

private home

cemetery

crematorium.

Resources may include:

selected text readings or scriptures

speakers or readers

personal effects

music

sound system

lighting and candles

flowers

photographs.

Workplace policies and procedures may include:

standard operating policies and procedures

communication protocols

personal presentation

OHS

standards and certification requirements

quality assurance procedures.

Public speaking techniques may include:

methods for managing nerves, such as:

centering 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.

Client feedback and review may include:

formal client feedback mechanisms

informal client feedback.

Areas for improvement may include:

organisational skills

time management skills

public speaking skills.

Appropriate strategies may include:

formal training

assistance from colleagues

self-reflection.

Sector

Funeral Services

Funeral Operations

This unit contains employability skills.