Summary of COM004 CA2 Group Assignment - Briefing Video
Summary of "COM004 CA2 Group Assignment - Briefing Video"
Main Ideas and Concepts
- Assignment Overview:
- This is a group assignment worth 40% of the overall grade (20% group presentation + 20% individual components).
- Students take on the role of business consultants assessing a company (BMC Cod) based on a movie scenario assigned to their group.
- The goal is to observe, analyze, and make recommendations to improve the company’s business management and communication processes.
- Role of Consultants:
- Consultants assess companies by observing, interviewing staff, and collecting data (primary and secondary).
- They identify strengths, weaknesses, effective and ineffective practices.
- Recommendations are made for both senior management and staff to improve organizational functioning.
- Consultants typically produce reports and presentations; this assignment focuses on the presentation aspect only.
- Use of Movies as Case Files:
- Each group is assigned a movie representing their client company and CEO.
- Students must watch the assigned movie (available on a restricted Sim drive) multiple times.
- Focus on business-related scenes and apply business management and communication concepts.
- Avoid creating fictional data or scripts; rely solely on observations from the movie.
- Content Topics to Observe:
Students should focus on identifying and applying concepts from five key content areas:
- Working in groups
- Communication process
- Conflict management
- Leadership
- Motivation
- Presentation Skills and Delivery:
- Three key skill areas to develop and apply:
- Written communication (e.g., slide content and structure)
- Visual communication (slide design, use of visuals/icons, avoiding wordy slides)
- Oral communication (tone, body language, gestures, eye contact, vocal variety)
- Students are encouraged to rehearse and avoid reading from scripts or Q cards to maintain engagement and confidence.
- Formal business attire is required to boost confidence and professionalism.
- Presentation time is strictly 10-15 minutes total for a group of five, with each member presenting for 2-3 minutes.
- Three key skill areas to develop and apply:
- Presentation Requirements:
- Prepare a PowerPoint slide deck with a maximum of 24 slides.
- Slides should be visually appealing, concise, and use appropriate business presentation techniques (e.g., infographics, charts).
- Follow the slide structure and content guidelines provided.
- Include a plagiarism declaration slide.
- Submit the presentation on time and label files clearly with group number and leader’s name.
- Late submissions will incur penalties.
- Assessment and Marking:
- Individual marks based on:
- Attire, confidence, communication style, grammar, vocabulary, nonverbal cues, and Q&A performance.
- Group marks based on:
- Slide quality, application of Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, multimodal elements, and persuasive communication principles (ethos, pathos, logos).
- Bulk of marks focus on findings, analysis, and recommendations.
- Use of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) is prohibited and will be penalized.
- Individual marks based on:
- Additional Support and Resources:
- Samples and guides from previous assignments are available but should not be copied.
- Visual communication and written communication lectures provide guidance on presentation design and persuasive techniques.
- A Google Document with FAQs from previous students is available.
- Technical support for file uploads and other issues is provided.
- Final Advice:
- Treat the lecturer as the CEO/client during presentations.
- Expect some role-playing by lecturers to simulate difficult bosses.
- Have fun applying real-life business and communication concepts.
- This assignment is designed to prepare students for practical workplace scenarios.
Detailed Methodology / Instructions
- Before Starting:
- Watch the assigned movie at least once before lectures.
- Revisit lecture notes on the five content topics if concepts are unclear.
- Focus on business scenes, ignoring unrelated movie content.
- Data Collection & Analysis:
- Observe and collect data relevant to the five content topics.
- Use both primary (observations, interviews in the movie) and secondary data (industry info).
- Analyze the company’s strengths, weaknesses, effective and ineffective processes.
- Use provided case notes and guided questions to deepen understanding.
- Slide Preparation:
- Prepare a PowerPoint presentation with no more than 24 slides.
- Follow the recommended number of slides per section (e.g., introduction, analysis, conclusion, recommendations).
- Keep slides concise, avoid excessive text (max ~36-40 words per slide).
- Use visuals like infographics, charts, icons, and videos to enhance communication.
- Include plagiarism declaration slide.
- Label file with group number and leader’s name.
- Presentation Delivery:
- Present as a group in formal business attire.
Notable Quotes
— 13:40 — « I'm allergic to too much words on one slide, so please let's not cause allergic reactions. Keep your word count in slides to a minimum and try to be more visual in how you communicate. »
— 17:20 — « Imagine that your lecturer is actually the CEO of the company who is your client. So please treat your lecturer like your client's Senior Management or your client's boss. »
— 18:31 — « You are encouraged not to look at Q cards or scripts. The moment you use any of these things, you won't be able to use your gestures or make eye contact with your audience, and that will actually affect your score greatly. »
— 22:59 — « In real life, the concepts that you've learned in business management and communication are very applicable to your real life. Even though it's a movie, that is how it is in real life in terms of business context. »
— 23:35 — « As you go through the assignment, have fun, enjoy the assignment, and really think about how you can apply the various content and skills that you are learning in this module to your real life next time when you start working. »
Category
Educational