CDI College Professional Communication Questions

PSKO / Professional SkillsAssignment 2
Communication Scenarios (30%)
DUE DATE
Session 3/Week 1
OBJECTIVE
Effective communication is an essential skill; one highly sought after by employers. In this assignment,
students will apply effective communication principles by analyzing and then responding to four
scenarios in a professional way.
DESCRIPTION
Practice your application of effective communication principles by revising the scenarios below.
1. Jeff wanted to request some vacation time next month because his friend got tickets to see
a concert in California. Below is the email he wrote to his manager with the request. Your
task is to read through this email, identify places where it lacks professionalism, and rewrite
the message in a professional way.
To: Louise Quinn, Manager
From: Jeff Jax, Employee
Subject: Won’t be here next month
Heya Louise,
I got a sweet opportunity to head to LA with my friend next month and won’t be
coming to work the week of November 22 – 29. I’ve already added these vacation
days to my timesheet. I think I had a client meeting scheduled on Nov 24 but I’m sure
they’ll be A-OK to reschedule or maybe Jana can cover.
I’d also appreciate it if you can take over my invoicing that week because I leave right
after work on Friday and might not have time to finish up all my paperwork from the
day.
Thanks in advance,
Jeff
a) Is this a professional email? Why or why not? Give specific examples to support your
answer.
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PSKO / Professional Skills
b) Rewrite the email so it demonstrates professionalism.
2. Omar is leading a weekly workshop series for his peers on how to be a successful student.
Each week, he assigns a task for them to try and report back on next session. However, it
seems like nobody is doing the task – whenever he leaves space in the session for sharing,
nobody responds. You come to observe his session, and notice that when he describes the
task, he says:
 Does that make sense?
 Do you have any questions?
Then, to start the next session, he says:
 Does anybody want to share?
How could Omar adjust the way he is asking his questions to improve engagement? Explain
your thinking and include examples of improved questions.
3. You’re the clerk at a local clothing store when a customer approaches the desk looking quite
upset. He has a worn-looking pair of boots with him and a receipt from 45 days ago. He
demands that you process his refund because these are the most uncomfortable boots he’s
ever worn. Unfortunately, it is past the 30-day return policy, which also states that returns
can only be processed for unused merchandise. As a result, you won’t be able to process the
refund. How could you share this news to the customer in a professional way? Write out
what you would say.
4. Hazel is working on a school project with Oliver and she’s very frustrated. This is the third
time that Oliver hasn’t shown up to their in-person meeting with no notice. Infuriated, she
opens her email and writes a scathing message that says:
Subject: Disappointed
Oliver,
You clearly couldn’t care less about me or our project, seeing as you continue to
waste my time by failing to show up for our meetings. The least you could do is send
me an email or a text message to let me know. I’ll be reporting this to the instructor
and asking to change partners.
Good riddance,
Hazel
a) Consider both the message content and the mode (email) chosen to deliver this message.
Was this a professional way to address the situation? Why or why not?
b) If you were faced with a similar conflict, how would you professionally communicate your
concerns to Oliver?
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PSKO / Professional Skills
INSTRUCTIONS
Complete your communication scenarios assignment by:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Opening the assignment template
Reading the scenarios carefully
Responding to each question thoroughly
Submitting your assignment as a Microsoft Word document
All responses must be your own work; no external resources are required. When responding, use the
same font size and style as the template (Calibri, 12 point). Write your answers using complete
sentences.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Work must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document, and be properly labelled as per the
College naming convention:
[Last Name] – [First Name] – Assignment 2.
GRADING CRITERIA
Assignment Value: 30%
Grading Criteria
Grading
Critical Thinking
Responses are detailed and contain accurate explanations and revisions.
When scenarios are revised, the tone and wording choices reflect a
professional approach. It is evident from the responses that the student has a
strong understanding of how to professionally communicate with others.
/10
Completeness
The assignment fulfills all instructions; every question has been thoroughly
answered.
/10
Readability
The response is written using complete sentences and following basic writing
conventions. There are few grammatical or mechanical errors, and any that
exist do not significantly detract from the reviewer’s ability to understand the
message.
/10
TOTAL
/30
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