Last Lecture

Audience listens lecturer at workshop in conference hall, rear view

Retiring employee, or an employee with expertise who is leaving a position, is given the opportunity to conduct a last lecture to share their experiences through a final presentation. The employee describes “what really happened” to give context, provides an example of program success or innovative process, or reflects on their experience of a particular topic to provide information that would otherwise be lost.

WHAT

Retiring employees give a presentation on a program, process, or procedure that they oversaw or with which they are familiar.

WHY

· To capture knowledge of an individual retiring or leaving a position or the agency.

· To explain something

WHEN

In a staff meeting and/or lunchtime talk

HOW

Face to face, in a webinar, or via video.
The presentation should be recorded and posted for future access.

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Make the presentation relevant to employees’ experience

LINKS & RESOURCES

Knowledge Management Toolbox, Last Lecture. NJDOT Technology Transfer. Website. Retrieved at: https://www.njdottechtransfer.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/STIC-Q2-Feature-Presentation-Operations-Apprenticeship-Program.pdf

EXAMPLES

KM Toolbox: Last Lecture on Operations Apprenticeship Program

December 15, 2021

At the NJ STIC 2nd Quarter meeting, held on June 16, 2021, Michele Shapiro, Director, NJDOT Human Resources, presented on the Operations Apprenticeship Program as it relates to Strategic Workforce Development, an FHWA EDC-6 initiative. Ms. Shapiro retired from NJDOT in 2021 and her presentation serves as a Last Lecture, a knowledge sharing strategy that provides insight on a particular topic from an individual leaving an agency.