Structuring your Skills Session: Top Tips
We want your skills session to be a success, for your audience to feel engaged throughout and to come away with additional knowledge and insights that they can continue to consider in the future.
The aim is of course for both your organisation and the students to come away from the session feeling enthused and that the session was mutually beneficial.
1. Introductions
- Start with a warm welcome and a brief introduction to the session.
- Clearly state the session objectives and what participants will gain from it.
2. Slide Contents and Structure
- Aim for the number of slides to be approximately 25% of the session length (e.g., for a 1-hour session, aim for about 15 slides).
- Minimise the volume of information on each slide using the 7 x 7 rule: no more than 7 words per line and no more than 7 lines per slide.
- Ensure text is at least 20 pt for readability.
3. Enhance the learning experience
- Consider Kolb’s experiential learning theory. Used by our Careers Consultants when delivering our Careers Essentials programme, learning is facilitated by actively engaging participants in a cycle of doing, reflecting, conceptualising and experimenting:
4. Make it interactive
- Indicate participation or activity slides with mini icons in the right corner of the slide.
- Include opportunities for audience participation or activities throughout the session.
5. Include employee voice
- Embed written quotes from colleagues to add context and engagement.
- Consider including a snippet from your company’s YouTube videos, such as testimonials from recent hires.
6. Assess Confidence Levels
- Assess participants' confidence levels at the start and end of the session.
- For in-person sessions, use post-it notes or a Slido poll for feedback. For online sessions, a Slido poll can be used.
7. Make it accessible
- Run all slides and session materials through an accessibility checker once the content is finalized to ensure they are accessible to all participants.
8. Provide next steps
- Include a slide with three recommendations for further engagement after the session, such as:
- How to undertake further research on the topic.
- Further resources for additional learning.
- How to connect with your company on LinkedIn.
9. Save times for questions
- Conclude with an "Any Questions?" slide to open the floor for participant queries and feedback.
10. Share your plans with us
We are always happy to review draft content to support you in developing a session that delivers for your organisation and our students.
By following these guidelines, you will create an engaging, informative, and accessible skills session that encourages participation and continued learning.