Communication Skills for Managers CW4 Summative Assessment Brief | BPP

1. General Assessment Guidance

• Your summative assessment for this module is made up of this summative assessment which accounts for 100% of the marks
• Please note late submissions will not be marked.
• You are required to submit all elements of your assessment via Turnitin online access. Only submissions made via the specified mode will be accepted and hard copies or any other digital form of submissions (like via email or pen drive etc.) will not be accepted.
• For coursework, the submission word limit is 3500 words. You must comply with the word count guidelines. You may submit LESS than 3500 words but not more. Word Count guidelines can be found on your programme home page and the coursework submission page.
• Do not put your name or contact details anywhere on your submission. You should only put your student registration number (SRN) which will ensure your submission is recognised in the marking process.
• A total of 100 marks are available for this module assessment, and you are required to achieve minimum 40% to pass this module.
• You are required to use only Harvard Referencing System in your submission. Any content which is already published by other author(s) and is not referenced will be considered as a case of plagiarism.
  You can find further information on Harvard Referencing in the online library on the Hub. You can use the following link to access this information: https://bpp.libguides.com/home/business
• BPP University has a strict policy regarding authenticity of assessments. In proven instances of plagiarism or collusion, severe punishment will be imposed on offenders. You are advised to read the rules and regulations regarding plagiarism and collusion in the GARs and UPPs which are available on the HUB in the Help and Support section under Documents and Forms.
• Use of AI in assessments is only allowed for the purposes of reviewing a draft, correcting language errors or if specified in the summative assessment brief. If you have used AI for any of these purposes, you should indicate this on the Assignment Cover sheet. For more information regarding acceptable and unacceptable use of AI, please enrol onto the Generative AI Foundations course on the HUB.
• You should include a completed copy of the Assignment Cover sheet. Any submission without this completed Assignment Cover sheet may be considered invalid and not marked.

2.Assessment Brief

In this assessment you need to demonstrate you meet the following module Learning Outcomes:

1. Understanding of the key principles and processes of professional communication.
2. Identify and apply various communication strategies for different types of business messages, including routine, positive, negative, and persuasive and ethical considerations.
3. Develop and refine interpersonal communication skills, including listening, nonverbal communication, and business etiquette.
4. Manage and organise information efficiently for business writing and presentations. You are required to create slides with a professional appearance and supporting speaker notes.

3. Assessment Task

You are the Communications Manager for Apple. You have been asked to prepare training material for all the store managers in the UK.

An Apple Store Manager plays a crucial role in ensuring the store runs smoothly while delivering an exceptional customer experience.

Their duties include:

• Leading & Inspiring Teams – Building and motivating high-performing teams that provide outstanding service.
• Customer Experience – Ensuring customers receive expert guidance, technical support, and a seamless shopping experience.
• Sales & Business Growth – Driving sales, meeting business goals, and implementing strategies to enhance store performance.
• Operations Management – Overseeing inventory, visual merchandising, and store organization.
• Talent Development – Hiring, training, and developing employees to excel in their roles. Problem-Solving & Adaptability – Handling challenges in a fast-paced retail environment while maintaining composure.
• Collaboration – Working with business teams to align store operations with Apple’s broader vision.

Your task is to create a professional communication guide for Apple Store Managers, containing the sections below:

Task1 (LO1): The guide must identify typical challenges the manager may face, in the areas of Applying the Three-Step Writing Process and Communicating Persuasive Messages.

Task 2 (LO2): The guide should explain the verbal, nonverbal or written communication skills which are required to overcome the challenges, identified above.

Task 3 (LO3): In your guide, explain how the identified skills would be effective in resolving difficulties.
Professional appearance of slides (LO4): Your guide must be presented professionally on Powerpoint slides using a slide template. Slides must be tidy in appearance with brief, informative text and visual elements (e.g images, diagrams and charts). You must provide speaker notes to support and explain slide text in detail.

General Guidelines:

• You must submit your presentation in PDF format with speaker notes
• There must be a minimum of 15 slides.
• Your guide should focus on the role of the Apple Store Manager, and include typical scenarios and challenges an Apple Store Manager may face
• You must use Harvard style to reference your sources, with citations on your slides and a Reference List at the end

Task Guidelines:

Task 1 (3-5 slides)

• Give an overview of the Apple Store Manager job role and describe the communication challenges of the job.
• Give examples of situations the Apple Store Manager may face, and explain the communication challenge for each one.
• Describe the Three-Step Writing Process and the foundations of persuasive messages (e.g. ethos, pathos and logos).

Task 2 (3-5 slides)

• Describe the verbal, nonverbal or written communication skills needed to create routine, positive and negative messages.
• Explain how the Apple Store Manager can use the Three-Step Writing Process and persuasive messages (e.g. ethos, pathos and logos) to communicate in an ethical manner with their team members.

Task 3 (3-5 slides)

• Explain why the communication skills in Task 2 will be effective in resolving challenges with good business etiquette.
• Describe the positive results from using the skills in Task 2, such as motivated team members, better collaboration and improved work performance.

Professional appearance of slides and speaker notes

• Use a slide template from Powerpoint, Canva.com or Microsoft Create to give your slides a tidy and professional appearance
• Add visual elements such as images, diagrams and charts
• Follow the 5-5-5 rule of Powerpoint design to limit the amount of text on your slides
• Write speaker notes under each slide, explaining the text on slide in detail
• Organise your speaker notes using headings and bullet points

Marking Guide