BTEC First Diploma in Business
2007 - 08
Unit 4: Business Communication
‘Talking Business’
Name: _______________________________
Assignment Manager:
Hand out date:
This assignment has five tasks.
The overall deadline for the whole assignment to be complete and handed in is:
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The following guidelines should be used when completing your assignment:
- You must refer to the criteria banner and the content of the unit throughout the assignment.
- You should make sure you do detailed research and have a good understanding of the subject you are researching. Keep a note of the resources you use as you go along.
- Before handing in you must:
- Check that you have completed all tasks
- Label work appropriately
- Present tasks in the correct order
- That your name appears clearly in the header of each page and the page number appears in the footer of each page.
For further details refer to the ‘Student Guidelines’ that were issued to you at the start of your course.
Scenario You work for the Human Resource department for a growing business, as your business grows your communication needs to develop in order to maintain clear and open channels of communication that support the aims and objectives of the business. Your task is to improve employee’s communication skills. |
Task 1: (P1)
Describe the purpose of business communication in four different business contexts.
For each of the following types of businesses highlight the different types of communication (informal / formal) and the methods of communication.
- Solicitors
- Mobile Phone Retailer
- McDonalds
- Doctors Surgery
You must consider the following;
Purpose: e.g. to inform, to confirm, to promote, to make a request, to instruct
Business contexts: formal and informal communication e.g. telephone contacts, meetings, technical enquiries; communicating with supervisors, colleagues, customers; complaints; presentations; confidentiality
Task 2: (P2)
Respond to a set of oral conveying a series of routine business tasks (given by your assessor)
(Send a copy of the agenda (saved on shared area) to all your colleagues for the next training session entitled ‘Business Documentation’ to be held on date ? at 2pm in the training room)
To achieve M1 you must explain how oral communications are or can be used in business situations. Use business examples to demonstrate your answer.
To achieve D1 you must choose one business that you looked at in task 1 and analyse how effective both oral and written communications are in business. Use examples from your chosen business to demonstrate.
You must consider the following:
Listening skills: listen and understand instructions verbally; interpret instructions and task requirements correctly; make notes; confirm understanding; seek clarification where appropriate
One-to-one communication: methods of conveying messages or series of instructions; language and expressions that will be understood by the recipient; messages to suit different situations
Task 3: (P3)
In groups discuss the advantages and disadvantages email (as a communication tool) has had on businesses.
Provide evidence of your discussion in the form of minutes. Each member of the group should also write an account of their contribution to the discussion, how they responded appropriately to others in the group and give examples of how they helped to move the discussion forward.
Working in a group situation: make relevant contributions to a discussion about business task; meeting; team briefing; respond appropriately to others; move a discussion forward
Task 4: (P4)
You have been approached by another company asking to book a training day on ‘business communications’. They want to book Friday 10th September.
You must:
- Write a letter to the company confirming the booking
- Write a memo to your Manager advising them of the booking
- Prepare and invoice for the company requesting payment for the training.
To achieve M2 you must give reasons for the importance of selecting appropriate documents and layouts for business purposes. You should explain why your documents have been laid out the way they have, why a particular font was used and why the documents you created were suitable for this particular business situation.
You must consider the following:
Documents: e.g. letters, memos, reports, agenda, minutes, purchase orders, invoices
Appropriate layouts: fitness for purpose; appropriate to the task and the audience; use of different formats and styles e.g. use of appropriate fonts, headings, images, pagination, document headers and footers
Writing documents for business: use of relevant technical language; drafting and redrafting to ensure accuracy; legibility and consistency; conventions; checking for accuracy, consistency and fitness for purpose; meeting deadlines
Recording and reporting: type of record; keeping accurate and complete records of conversations, meetings and/ or agreed actions; accurate and concise reporting in sufficient and appropriate detail, working within given deadlines and timeframes; reporting issues as they arise to the appropriate person
Task 5: (P5)
Your manager has asked you and a colleague to take part in the training session on Friday 10th September. You have been asked to create a PowerPoint presentation discussing the importance of interpersonal and non-verbal communication skills in business. Your presentation must include a short role play demonstrating your interpersonal and non-verbal communication skills in action.
The role play should be based on the following scenario:
You are the Manager of a busy supermarket. A member of staff comes to you in tears with a delicate matter, which must remain confidential.
- The role play should demonstrate the most suitable way to deal with the situation. You should choose the ‘delicate matter’ that is to be used.
You will deliver your presentation to the group demonstrating your own interpersonal and non-verbal communication skills.
To achieve M3 you must explain how effective interpersonal and non-verbal communication skills can be used to support effective communications. Use business examples to support your answer.
To achieve D2 you must use the business that you looked at for D1 and evaluate the importance of effective interpersonal and non-verbal communication skills in business success.
You must consider the following;
Conveying a professional image: appropriate dress or uniform to meet industry conventions or regulations; excellent personal hygiene; sound organizational skills; good time management; professional and business like manner when dealing with staff and customers
Dealing with confidential matters: using appropriate methods of communication to convey confidential messages; sensitivity in dealing with confidential issues; understanding of material that might be confidential
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