An insurance company executive hired an independent consultant to address low productivity and morale among customer service associates. The executive had unilaterally implemented a new tracking system to monitor associates' call times, but associates complained it reduced their productivity. After several months, tensions were high and productivity/morale had declined further. The consultant was tasked with analyzing the situation and recommending solutions, including whether to keep the tracking system, through facilitating stakeholder agreement.

1. Business Communication
communications question and need guidance to help me learn.
SCENARIO: An insurance company executive and her managers have been challenged by
their company to increase the productivity of their 100 customer service associates. The
associates are very diverse in all respects, including cultural background and languages
spoken. The executive observes associates mingling during work hours and is concerned
they are under-performing as a result. She makes a unilateral decision to have associates log
their time on each call so they are more accountable for their time. Associates complain that
this new tracking system takes time from their schedule, making them less productive. After
a few months, morale and productivity are lower, and tensions are high due to the tracking
system. The insurance executive hires you as an independent management consultant to
analyze the situation and recommend solutions, including helping the stakeholders decide if
the tracking system should remain in place. Note that it is not your job to make this decision
but to facilitate an agreement supported by all or most of the organization.
ASSIGNMENT: Use the best practices for managing and moderating conflict in the
workplace that you’ve learned in Unit 2 to address this scenario. The insurance executive
has hired you as an independent management consultant to analyze the situation and
recommend solutions, including whether the tracking system should remain in place.
To complete the assignment, download the response template and answer the following
questions in 5-7 sentences each. You will return the completed template as your
Touchstone submission.
Type Your Name Here
Business Communication
Date here
Using what you have learned about business communication through Unit 2, respond to the
following questions in response to the scenario. For each question, you should write a
paragraph-length response (5–7 sentences) to receive credit for this assignment. You may
use your Sophia tutorials as a resource.
Question 1: What decision-making approach will you recommend the executive take for
achieving the best decision on whether to keep this tracking system in place and for
obtaining cooperation from the customer service associates? Why do you think this method

2. is best?
Question 2: You recommend that the executive and managers meet with their customer
service associates to better connect with them and create empathy as a key step toward
resolving the conflict. What advice would you give to the executives and managers to
facilitate such a meeting? What advice would you give to customer service associates?
Question 3: To accommodate their customers, the company employs a number of native
speakers of Spanish, Russian, and other languages. In your recommendation about this
tracking system issue, how will you assure the meeting feels inclusive and equitable to these
staff members?
Question 4: Can you identify how this organization’s conflict might result in improvements
to its internal processes and productivity? Can you explain some possible benefits of such
improvements to the larger organization?
Unit 4 Touchstone: Oral Presentation
ASSIGNMENT: Imagine that you have been asked to give a five-minute oral presentation at
the next staff meeting. The purpose is to teach your colleagues some strategy or technique
for better communication. Feel free to draw on the content you have already learned in this
class!
Since you will not be able to share a screen, it is recommended that you do not try to teach
people how to use a technology, but some other best practice. You may do something
related to technology, as long as you do not need to do a demonstration. Use of visual aids is
optional and will not be assessed directly.
Example topics could be:
Humor at work: what’s appropriate and what’s not
How to soothe an angry customer on the phone
How to give constructive criticism in person
Advice for professional emails
These are some suggestions, but you can select any topic that is related to workplace
communication and which can be explained in five minutes.
Don’t be daunted by the time limit. That’s as long as ten television commercials, which
usually tell a story and make a pitch in 30 seconds!
Before you begin you may want to review the content on Organizing Presentations and
Delivering Presentations.
A. DIRECTIONS
1. As you begin, remember to follow the seven guidelines of professional communication.

3. Know your objective (to teach a communication skill.)
Understand your audience (these are your colleagues; you have a professional relationship
but also know each other well. Your colleagues want the presentation to be helpful and
engaging, even entertaining).
Be relevant. Make sure the presentation stays focused on a communication skill everybody
can use.
Be clear, concise, complete, and consistent. Because the presentation is short, pay special
attention to being concise. Make sure that you can finish it in under five minutes. Your
colleagues don’t want to go late into their lunch hour! Be consistent in your use of language
and avoid using jargon.
2. Select a topic and draft your presentation on paper as an informal outline. Prepare and
practice. Organize your talking points so you can make full use of the full five minutes
without going over. Time yourself and make appropriate edits until your presentation fits
the five minutes.
3. Record a 5-minute video of yourself delivering your presentation. Remember that the
assessment will be of verbal and nonverbal delivery, so use of visual aids is optional. If you
do use them, make sure they are visible on the screen.
Note: You do not have to dress formally but should choose a wardrobe and background that
are professional, or at least not distracting. It is important that you convey yourself as a
professional and that background noise is minimal so that your speech can be clearly heard.
4. Review your video to make sure you like the results and that the recording was
successful. But don’t overdo it! If you deliver the same speech too many times it will be
harder to maintain a natural tone. Four or five runs should be plenty.
5. Submit your video for a grade.
B. RUBRIC
Advanced Proficient Acceptable Needs Improvement Non-Performance
CONTENT (10 POINTS)
Content is accurate, relevant to the assignment, and engaging. Content is accurate, relevant
to the assignment, and engaging. Content is generally accurate, relevant to the assignment,
and engaging, but may fall a bit short in one area.. Content is generally accurate, relevant to
the assignment, and engaging, but may fall short in at least one area. Content is lacking in at
last two elements of accuracy, relevance, and engagement. Content is not an appropriate
response to the assignment, is not accurate, or otherwise falls so short of expectations that
no points can be given.
APPROPRIATENESS TO AUDIENCE (10 POINTS)
Speaker uses language and tone that are appropriate to a diverse professional setting.
Speaker continuously uses language and tone that are appropriate to a diverse professional
background. Speaker generally uses language and tone that are appropriate to a diverse
professional setting with one or two exceptions. Speaker generally uses language and tone
that are appropriate to a diverse professional setting with a few exceptions. Speaker’s
language and tone are often inappropriate for a diverse professional setting. Language and
tone are so unprofessional that no points can be given.
VERBAL SKILLS (10 POINTS)

4. Speaker is attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation
Speaker is attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation throughout the speech. Speaker
is generally attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation with one or two exceptions.
Speaker is generally attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation with a few exceptions.
Speaker is inattentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation; parts of the speech may be
effective but other parts are in a monotone or a tone inappropriate to the message. Speech
is so inarticulate and poorly delivered that no points can be given.
NONVERBAL SKILLS (10 POINTS)
Speaker uses gestures, facial expressions, and other body language to clarify, support, and
dramatize parts of the speech. Speaker minimizes distracting and unintentional gestures,
facial expressions, or movements.
Speaker uses gestures, facial expressions, and other body language to clarify, support, and
dramatize parts of the speech. Speaker minimizes distracting and unintentional gestures,
facial expressions, or movements. Speaker generally uses intentional body language and
avoids distracting body language with one or two exceptions. Speaker adequately uses
intentional body language and avoids distracting body language with a few exceptions.
Speaker insufficiently uses body language and/or has distracting body language that
undermines their speech. Use of body language is so absent or inappropriate no points can
be given.
TIME MANAGEMENT (10 POINTS)
Speaker makes effective use of the full five minutes without either finishing early or going
over by more than a few seconds.
Speaker makes effective use of the full five minutes without either finishing early or going
over by more than a few seconds. Speaker runs a little short or a little long by no more than
30 seconds. Speaker runs a little short or a little long by no more than a minute. . Speaker
runs well short or long by over a minute. Speech is so brief or so long it is not an
appropriate response to the assignment.
C. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The following requirements must be met for your submission:
All video content must be appropriate for an academic context
Presentation must be original and written for this assignment; plagiarism of any kind is
strictly prohibited.
Video is about five minutes long.
Any video file format may be submitted.
Your video submission should include your name and the date.
Requirements: 800 words