Subject Code & Title : BSBCMM412 Lead Difficult Conversations
Assignment Type : Assessment 2
Assessment Task 2 : – Project portfolio
Information for students
In this task, you are required to demonstrate your skills and knowledge by working through a
number of activities and completing and submitting a project portfolio.
You will need access to:
1. a business or simulated business which meets the requirements described in the activities below
2. a computer with internet access and email
3. your learning resources and other information for reference
4. Project Portfolio template
5. Simulation Pack (if you need a case study).
BSBCMM412 Lead Difficult Conversations Assessment 2 – Crown Institute Australia.
Ensure that you :
1. comply with the due date for assessment which your assessor will provide
2. adhere with your RTO’s submission guidelines
3. answer all questions completely and correctly
4. submit work which is original and, where necessary, properly referenced
5. avoid sharing your answers with other students.
Activities
Complete the following activities:
1.Carefully read the following:
This project requires you to prepare for and lead two separate, difficult conversations by:
1. identifying the requirements of each conversation
2. planning to meet the requirements of each conversation
3. undertaking each conversation
4. facilitating support for stakeholders
5. documenting each conversation
6. reflecting on your own effectiveness in each conversation.
Selecting a business to work with
Vocational education and training is all about gaining and developing practical skills that are industry relevant and that can help you to succeed in your chosen career. For this reason, we are giving you the choice to base this project on your own business, one you work in or a familiar with, or you can use the case study provided. This will mean that you are applying your knowledge and skills in a relevant, practical and meaningful way to your own situation!
If you choose to base your assessment on your own business or workplace, it is important that you can access enough information for your chosen business to be able to successfully complete each of the assessment tasks. As a minimum,
this will include organisational policies and procedures related to workplace communication, workplace support services and those that address performance planning and management.
You will make a final decision about whether to work with the case study business or a real business in the next step.
Completing your Project Portfolio
You will be collecting evidence for this unit in a Project Portfolio. The steps you need to take to complete your Portfolio are described below.
Communicating with others
You will need to communicate with stakeholders several times. This will include parties to the conversation and people within your organisation who can provide advice regarding the content of your conversation.
Your communication may be directly with actual staff members from within your own business or workplace. Alternatively, your fellow students and/or your assessor can play the roles of the relevant people. Some of the
communication for this unit must be face to face. However, this doesn’t mean that all parties must be in the same room – you can use video conferencing or any other appropriate format, as long as it meets the requirements outlined in
this guide and in your Project Portfolio.
2.Preparation
Select a business to work with and a role
As you saw earlier, this unit requires you to lead two difficult conversations. You will require a leadership role to lead these conversations. Some examples of difficult conversations could include:
BSBCMM412 Lead Difficult Conversations Assessment 2 – Crown Institute Australia.
performance management/performance planning (including unexpected performance planning results/feedback)
reduction of hours/changes to roster/non-preferred rostering
restructuring
lack of success in application for promotion
unexpected negative feedback
complaints from other staff/customers
resolving conflict between team members.
For students working with their own business Complete Page 4 of your Project Portfolio by :
describing the business
describing your role and your team
describing both conversations that you will have.
Submit Page 4 to your assessor. Your assessor must approve your business before you proceed with assessment.
For students working with the case study business
Take some time now to read through the Simulation Pack for this unit. You will need to select a leadership role for one of the teams in the business. Choose an area that interests you. It could be finance, sales, customer support – it’s up to
you.
You will have seen that there are some examples of difficult conversations above. You will need to select two difficult conversations to work on for the purposes of this assessment.
You will use your real names, backgrounds and communication preferences and styles during all role plays to ensure that the simulation is realistic.
You can choose to focus on any issues within the team that you have selected to lead. The difficult conversations that you have will depend on the team and the issues that you identify from the information provided in the simulation
pack.
Complete Page 4 of your Project Portfolio by:
describing the business
describing your role and your team
describing both conversations that you will have.
Submit Page 4 to your assessor. Your assessor must approve your role and your planned conversations before you proceed with your assessment.
Review all your documents
Before you begin your assessment, read through all of your assessment documents including this guide and your Project Portfolio. If you are working with the case study business, you should also read through all of the documents in the Simulation Pack.
If you are working with your own business, a business that you work in or are familiar with, make sure that you have access to all of the documents that you need and that you have familiarised yourself with them.
Make sure that you understand what you need to do and, if you have any questions, speak to your assessor or workplace supervisor.
Preparing to lead difficult conversations
In this first activity, you will plan and prepare to lead difficult conversations. This includes:
describing the purpose and requirements of the conversation
gathering and developing information and materials for the conversation
organising the logistics of the conversation/meeting
defining the content of the conversation/meeting (including seeking advice and feedback from stakeholders)
planning your delivery style
confirming legislative and organisational requirements.
Work into Section 1 of your Portfolio. (Note that there are two copies of Section 1.You must complete one copy for each conversation).
You will use the work done in this section of the Portfolio to guide your work in the next stage of your assessment. Do not proceed with the next stage until you have received feedback from your assessor.
Make sure you have answered all questions in both copies of Section 1 of your Portfolio. Submit to your assessor for review.
You are also required to attach certain documents as part of your evidence – review the documents you need to attach as outlined in each copy of Section 1 of the Project Portfolio and make sure you attach these upon submission.
4.Facilitating difficult conversations
You will now put the planning and preparation in place that you completed in Section 1 of your Portfolio by facilitating the difficult conversations.
Arrange to meet with each person (electronically via video conferencing if necessary) to facilitate the conversations. If you are working with the case study business, or, if you are not able to meet with people from your workplace, your assessor or a fellow student will play the role of the other party. Your assessor will work with you to arrange this.
Ensure that, during both conversations, you:
consider the planning and preparation that you completed in Section 1
adjust your communication style in response to the needs of the other person
respond with empathy
provide opportunities for the other person to give their input
confirm the understanding of the other person
confirm the outcomes of the discussion with the other person
refer stakeholders to relevant support services as required.
If your assessor does not participate in each discussion or directly observe each discussion, you will need to record the meetings for your assessor to watch later. You should attach these recordings to Section 2 of your Portfolio. If you
need help with this process, speak to your assessor.
Document the relevant points of your discussion. Work into Section 2 of your Portfolio. (Note that there are two copies of Section 2 – one for each discussion. Make sure that you complete both copies and submit evidence for both as required.) Submit to your assessor for review.
You are also required to attach certain documents as part of your evidence – review the documents you need to attach as outlined in Section 2 of the Project Portfolio and make sure you attach these upon submission.
5.Reviewing your own effectiveness
In this activity, you are required to review your own effectiveness in the difficult conversations that you led by:
reflecting on your personal performance in each conversation
seeking feedback from the other party to the conversation
identifying areas for improvement.
Work into Section 3 of your Portfolio.
Remember to follow your organisation’s policies and procedures in regard to privacy and workplace respect when seeking feedback.
Complete all remaining questions in Section 3 of your Portfolio. Submit to your assessor for review.
You are also required to attach certain documents as part of your evidence –review the documents you need to attach as outlined in Section 3 of the Project Portfolio and make sure you attach these upon submission.
Assessment Task 2: Checklist
Lead at least two difficult conversations in the workplace?
BSBCMM412 Lead Difficult Conversations Assessment 2 – Crown Institute Australia.
Prepare to lead difficult conversations by :
describing the purpose and requirements of the conversation
gathering and developing information and materials for the conversation
organising the logistics of the meeting
defining the content of the meeting(including seeking advice and feedback from stakeholders)
planning their delivery style
confirming legislative and organisational requirements?
Lead two difficult conversations by:
taking into account the planning and preparation that they completed in Section 1
adjusting their communication style in response to the needs of the other person
providing opportunities for the other person to give their input
confirming the understanding of the other person
confirming the outcomes of the discussion with the other person
referring stakeholders to relevant support services as required
demonstrating empathy
responding with understanding and reacting with conviction?
Review their own effectiveness in leading difficult conversations by:
reflecting on their own performance in each conversation
seeking feedback
responding to feedback
identifying and applying areas for improvement?