COM101 Report On Effectiveness of The Presentation Assessment 3 Answer

Executive Summary

The equality in workplace environment provides ample opportunities for the genders to participate in the process of employment. The opportunities provided by the government initiates strong support for women to be a significant part of the workforce. However, the limitations of education provided to the women, the issues of getting pregnant and availing maternity leaves for more than six months post-delivery and issues in negotiating with the employers in the market becomes a constraint to determine their worth in actual compensation in the workforce. The report aims to establish a significant presentation on the topic of equal opportunities for gender in the workforce with assisted graphs and charts collected in the form of secondary data. The strategies of presenting the topic, constructive feedback, and recommendation to improve the presentation are also discussed in the report. 

Introduction

The gender pay gap is one of the persistent issues in providing the same opportunities to women to bring equal opportunity in the workplace environment. The Australian Bureau of Statistics provided the fact that the gap has declined from the stable percentage of 14.1% where salaries of women estimated at average weekly earnings are calculated at $1,484. In contrast, the earnings of men are estimated at $1,726 per week. (Martin & Ball, 2019) The microeconomic conditions are considered to play the pivotal role in widening the gender pay gap, and no guaranteed solution is devised yet to close the gap. The background of the presentation resembles the inequalities in payment for the women in the workforce which creates hindrance in establishing the government acts and rules that comprise of Fair Work Act, Workplace Gender Equality Act and other anti-discrimination laws. 

The individual presentation on the topic emphasizes the scope of gender equality which is promoted by the Government of Australia in the workplaces to encourage all the genders in equal participation in the workforce (Pay Equality in the workforce, 2009). The methodologies used in the presentation reflects the charts and graphs assembled from the government sites and other authentic sources to provide a glimpse on the actual scenario of the gender pay inequality that exists in the 21^st century. The secondary data analysis methodology is used in the presentation, which provides the scope for comparing the statistics and information collected for the research purpose on similar topics.

Figure 1: The gender pay gap infographic of 2020

(Source: Statistics on Gender Pay Gap, 2020)

Discussion

 The individual presentation is embedded to inform the audience present in the lecture session on the business communication given in a classroom setting. The statistics and vital data collected for the presentation of the topic is to persuade the audience on the purpose of the report which is to establish the notion of equal work opportunities for the genders in the Australian workplace context (van Ginkel et al. 2019). The presentation is well-documented with the facts, figures and graphs that highlight what critical situation is for the women participants in the labour market across the world and Australia. 

Reflection on achieving the objectives 

The reflection on the objectives of the presentation suggests that the goals are achieved by indicating the crucial difference which is observed in the background of the Australian labour market with limited possibilities in changing the situation for the women participants since the gap is still unaddressed due to the following reasons mentioned below: 

1.  The women in the workforce are still undervalued and dominated in comparison to their male counterparts.
2. The work-based training is less accessible for women to participate with adequate knowledge in the workforce.
3. The organizational structures are inflexible to accommodate the compensation at par for the women forces (Gender Pay Gap, 2020) The employers perceive that women are more family-oriented with massive responsibilities to rear up children and work in the comfort of their houses.  

The reflection on the topic of workplace equity for the genders also suggests that the fairness and respect are achieved through the implementation of gender pay equality which highlights the credibility of the government in the eyes of public (Foley et al. 2020). The better gender equality helps in achieving the status of the employer of choice, which gives a robust workforce enhancing the productivity and revenue for the employers. The audiences can understand the difference in treatment for the genders, which helps in achieving the objectives of the presentation.   

Figure 2: The possible reasons for the gender pay gap all over the world

(Source: Foley et al. 2020)

Target audience and achieving their needs

The target audiences for the presentation of the topic of equal opportunities in the workplace are the students attending the lecture sessions on business communication. The needs of the target audience are to understand the relevance of pay equality for the genders in Australian society through which they can equally determine their position once they join the labour market after successful completion of their academic degrees (Kubica et al. 2020). The difference while discouraging the women from participating in the employment process, it stands as a scope to improve the conditions of the women to take up the challenge in mitigating the pay disparities which the government is also trying to resolve (Polachek, 2019). The need for the presentation is to motivate the genders in establishing their rights for equal compensation from the employers, either private or public. Moreover, the audience understands the efficacy to improve their skills in personal, professional developments which are highly essential for the employability opportunities that are getting limited to the pandemic crisis. 

Figure 2: The graph representing a decline in the percentage of the gender pay gap

(Source: Martin & Ball, 2019)

Effective strategies used in engaging the audience 

The effective strategies used in engaging the audience was providing them with relevant content through the audio-visual presentation, telling them a short story based on the topic, infographic posters, asking question session, conducting an online poll and filling up of questionnaire or survey forms. The secondary data analysis process was equipped with the survey forms and questionnaires to be answered by the audience with their identification (Cullen & Blackwell, 2019). This strategy of engaging the audience with the sense of belonging to a survey based on their knowledge and ideologies on the pay equality and other opportunities for the genders engage their attention to the topic discussed through the presentation. As informed by Skordi & Fraser, (2019), the questionnaire comprising of the percentage of women engaged in their current employment or university, their beliefs and ideas on equal remuneration irrespective of their roles played in the workplace environment and what amenities must be provided like parental leaves, paternity/maternity leaves, policies of promotion and several other aspects was covered. 

Figure 3: A sample of a questionnaire to engage the audience 

(Source: Skordi & Fraser, 2019).

Techniques used in engaging and optimizing visual aids for the audience  

The techniques that have been utilized in engaging the audience with visual impacts are the charts and graphs and other statistical information which would mark the opportunities provided to the genders in their workplace, compare the disparities and highlight the benefits of involving various acts and legislations passed by the government in bringing equity in the system of compensation for the women, other genders and men (Georgeac & Rattan, 2019). Sample questionnaire or survey forms are also used as visual aids which can be provided to the audience to gain their insight on the topic. This mutual interaction between the presenter and the audience enhanced the sessions with queries, discussions, and debates essential for the growth of personal and professional development of the students in their higher education level. 

Types of feedback provided by the audience 

The feedback provided by the audience was constructive criticism as well as praising the effort of assembling relevant information and making the session active by including all the students in participating in the discussion. The filling up of survey forms and questionnaire build a personal bond with the audience where their personal opinion is sought with their email address and other identification (Silvervarg et al. 2020). However, the process was pledged to be confidential and within the premise of the college without revealing any information of the audience to any third party. 

The constructive criticism shows the gaps in information which needed to be presented for the scope of improvement—the speech needed to be refined and in-sync with the video presentation. The level of confidence was low while speaking on the statistical part of the presentation. There was a clear lacking of conviction on the delivery of the speech that was simultaneously going with the presentation (Al-Hattami, 2019). Moreover, the questions needed to be constructed with emphasizing words with strong agreement or disagreement on the points provided in the questionnaire. The commended portions were a colourful representation, authentic source of materials and referencing style and fewer errors evident in the grammatical portion of the presentation.  

Conclusion 

In summarization, it may be deduced that the ongoing policies and procedures of the government are effortlessly working on bringing a change in the working environment and amenities provided to the workforce irrespective of their genders. The report specifically highlights the essential reduction in payment disparities from early 2010 to 2020. Given the ten years witnessed a sharp decrease in the disparity of payment for the women, which initiates a good motive and encouraging aspect for them to join the labour market. The gaps are still evident. However, the present policies and willingness of the women are increasing in the workforce, which initially will change the scenario in the employment situation across the globe.

Recommendations on the changes in the second presentation 

The recommendations on the delivery of the second presentation may include a strong, commanding voice on the delivery of speech with better synchronization with the presentation. The core message will be elaborated as per the needs of the audience, and a confident gesture through eye-to-eye contact will be made with the audience. The slide shows will be attractive, and the fonts used will be 30 points to create better audience engagement. The time of the session may also be reduced if necessary.