CBC1501 Assignment 2 (COMPLETE ANSWERS) Semester 2 2025 - DUE 5 September 2025

You must read the following case study before answering questions 2–4: “Lost in Translation: Navigating Barriers to Listening and Communication Styles in a Hybrid Team” Saim Waqas, a junior marketing coordinator at Accenture Accounting, was born with a severe hearing impairment. He has only 20% hearing in his right ear and 10% in his left ear. He, therefore, relies on hearing aids, lip-reading, captioned video calls, and written communication to participate in workplace interactions. Saim’s team recently began a high-pressure marketing campaign for a high-profile client. The project is coordinated through a hybrid format: • Weekly in-person meetings in the office • Daily updates via group chat on Microsoft Teams • Brainstorming sessions on video calls with screen sharing • Document collaboration in Google Workspace From the outset, Saim encountered several communication challenges: • In video meetings, some colleagues failed to switch on their cameras or position themselves clearly, making lip-reading impossible. Others spoke while muted or during screen sharing, preventing Saim from following along. • In group chats, colleagues posted multiple quick messages without tagging him, making it difficult to follow the conversation thread, while some colleagues posted emoticons that Saim could not understand. • In-person meetings often became fast-paced, with overlapping speech and limited turn-taking. Moreover, background sounds such as the buzzing of the projector and air conditioner caused interference in Saim’s hearing aids, resulting in severe headaches. • Technical jargon and unexplained acronyms were used in both verbal and written exchanges, which intensified the challenges the Saim experienced. Team members’ communication styles added complexity: • Priya is an open communicator, readily sharing updates and asking questions, but sometimes overshares personal matters, which others find distracting. • Andre is a blind communicator, confident in his clarity but often unaware that his rushed speech and lack of captions exclude Saim from key details. • Lerato is a hidden communicator, careful about what she says and prefers private messages, which means important information is sometimes not shared with the group. • Tebogo is a closed communicator, resistant to collaboration tools, preferring face-to-face discussion only, and often reluctant to engage in group chats. Page 8 of 16 A misunderstanding during the final client pitch preparation, where Saim received incomplete design instructions via chat, resulted in a significant error. Andre publicly criticised Saim for “not listening properly” during a video meeting, which embarrassed him in front of the group. Saim felt this was unfair, as he had repeatedly asked for clarification in the chat and meetings. The team leader, realising that poor communication and lack of inclusivity were creating conflict, scheduled a facilitated session to address: • Listening barriers (both physical and psychological) • Inclusive communication practices in hybrid teams • How communication styles affect collaboration and conflict resolution Page 9 of 16 4. QUESTION 2: ESSAY [30] 4.1. Instructions TO STUDY: LUs 1-11. Read the case study provided on page 6, then complete the following task. You are now going to apply all the theories that you have learnt about persuasive writing and communication. Using the case study “Lost in Translation: Navigating Barriers to Listening and Communication Styles in a Hybrid Team”, write an essay of 700 words where you describe the communication challenges faced by Saim Waqas in a hybrid workplace. You will explore listening and hearing, barriers to effective communication, non-verbal communication in spoken and written contexts, and how different communication styles can influence conflict and teamwork. Finally, you will propose practical strategies for improving inclusive communication. 4.2. Essay Structure: Your essay should be structured as follows: I. Introduction (full paragraph) II. Body (six paragraphs). Each paragraph should contain: • One clear topic sentence that introduces the main idea. • Two substantiating statements that explain, illustrate, or support the topic sentence with examples from the case study. The six paragraphs in the body should cover the following topics: i. Overview of Saim’s communication challenges in the hybrid team. ii. The difference between hearing and listening. iii. Any two barriers to listening that are present in the case study. iv. Any two categories of non-verbal communication in spoken contexts and any two categories of non-verbal communication in written contexts. v. Any two functions of non-verbal communication that are apparent in the scenario, and their impact on understanding. vi. Any two practical strategies the team could use to improve communication and teamwork with Saim. III. Conclusion (full paragraph) Page 10 of 16 4.3. Presentation requirements This content outline should guide you when planning your essay for this assessment. i. An appropriate title ii. The brainstorming/planning iii. The introduction should include a thesis statement that highlights the different aspects of the topic to be discussed. iv. Six topic sentences with six substantiating points (that are cited correctly) in the body. a. One topic sentence with two substantiating statements for each paragraph. This means that you will have six paragraphs, each with one topic sentence and two referenced substantiating statements. b. You MUST reference the substantiating statements using the correct in-text referencing styles and provide a list of sources consulted that should be placed at the end of the assignment. c. Peruse three additional resources of your choice, in addition to the study material provided to you. v. The conclusion. Organise your answer logically and coherently. Remember to present your answer in an essay format. Do not write in point form at all. 4.4. Additional requirements and considerations i. Remember to present your answer in an essay format and provide an appropriate title for your essay. Do not write in point form at all. You will also be graded on the correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation and writing fluency. ii. Organise your answer logically and coherently using the format appropriate for a short essay. iii. Marks will be deducted should plagiarism be detected. Where large portions of the text have been plagiarised, you will receive 0% for this question and may be subject to disciplinary action. Read and make sure you understand all the information on plagiarism and academic writing in Tutorial Letter 301 (CMNALLE/301). Therefore, ensure that: ▪ The information utilised in your essay is paraphrased and correctly referenced in-text and in the list of sources consulted. ▪ All sources consulted are cited in the list of sources consulted, including tutorial letters, the study guide, the prescribed book, and additional sources. (Sources consulted should be placed at the END of the assignment.) ▪ The correct referencing techniques are used in the text of the assignment, and the list of sources has been consulted. Page 11 of 16 ▪ All study material is referenced correctly, as per the departmental requirements outlined in Tutorial Letter 301 (CMNALLE/301). ▪ You must have a list of sources consulted that relates to your in-text references. You will not receive marks for this criterion if only one of these aspects is adhered to. ▪ Quotations do not exceed 10% of your work. ▪ You do not copy and paste material from any sources of information at all. ▪ You do NOT rewrite content from the scenario (you will not receive any marks if you do so). ▪ You must NOT use any AI tools to generate content. ▪ A similarity report will be generated through the Turnitin application built into Moodle. You will be penalised for instances where the principles of academic integrity have been violated. 4.5. Mark allocation for Question 2: Essay MARK ALLOCATION FOR QUESTION 2: ESSAY TASK DESCRIPTION MARKS 1. Format and layout 1.1. Title, 2 1.2. Planning (brainstorming) 2 2. Grammar and language 2.1. Articulation, tense, fluency, sentence structure, formal tone, logical flow and paragraph structure 3 2.2. Spelling and punctuation 2 3. Content 3.1. Introduction, including thesis statement and overview of content 3 3.2. Topic sentences 6 3.3. Substantiating statements 6 3.4. In-text referencing and list of sources consulted 3 3.5. Conclusion – summary of main points, rounding off of arguments 3 Penalisation (if any) Format, layout and structure Similarity: Rewriting the scenario, etc. Total 30 Page 12 of 16 5. QUESTION 3: ABRIDGED REPORT [25] 5.1. Instructions TO STUDY: LUs 1-11. Read the case study provided on page 6, then complete the following task. Dr Hashmat Aabiedien, the CEO of Accenture Accounting, was very upset to learn of the issues experienced in the marketing team that led to the failed marketing pitch to the client. He has asked the senior communications researcher, Siearra Tyrone, to investigate the matter and prepare a report outlining the communication challenges experienced in the team. Assume the role of Sierra Tyrone and prepare an abridged report in the required format. 5.2. Additional requirements and considerations: You need to write and present a formal report outlining the findings of Sierra Tyrone’s research in the text above. In your report, you need to: i. Provide an appropriate title for this report. ii. Give a short, relevant introduction to this formal report. iii. Supply four (4) findings, four (4) conclusions and four(4) recommendations only. iv. Format your answers appropriately. v. Maintain a logical link between each of the given findings and each of the conclusions and recommendations that you provide. vi. Write in the third person, as far as possible. ▪ Apart from following the question instructions and the actual content of your answer, marks will also be awarded for the relevance of your conclusions, findings and recommendations as they pertain to the scenario. You will also be graded on the appropriate formatting and numbering of the content, and the correct use of spelling and grammar in your writing. You must NOT use any AI tools to generate content. Page 13 of 16 5.3. Mark allocation for Question 3: Abridged Report MARK ALLOCATION FOR QUESTION 3: ABRIDGED REPORT TASK DESCRIPTION MARKS 1. Format and layout 1.1. Header, title, headings, heading structures, name of company, numbering, alignment 4 2. Grammar and language 2.1. Articulation, tense, fluency, sentence structure, formal tone, logical flow and paragraph structure 3 2.2. Spelling and punctuation 2 3. Content 3.1. Introduction 2 3.2. Findings 4 3.3. Conclusions 4 3.4. Recommendations 4 3.5. Logical links 2 Penalisation (if any) Format, layout and structure Similarity: Rewriting the scenario, etc. Total 25 Page 14 of 16 6. QUESTION 4: BUSINESS LETTER [25] 6.1. Instructions TO STUDY: LUs 1-11. Read the main scenario provided on page 6 and then complete the following task. Saim Waqas is disturbed after the failed marketing pitch to the client. He knows that the communication challenges that he experienced in the team led to fatal errors in the pitch. His main concern was the poor conflict management skills in the team that had arisen due to the different communication styles of the team members. He has decided to write a letter to the CEO, Dr Hashmat Aabiedien, to outline his concerns about this issue that the team leader has ignored. Assume the role of Saim Waqas and write a letter of complaint, wherein you: i. Introduce yourself and provide the context and background of the problem. ii. Inform Dr Hashmat of your concerns regarding the different communication styles of the team members and the impact this has on the task performance and goal attainment of the team. Refer to the reasons for the failed marketing pitch to the client. iii. Provide actionable suggestions for overcoming the communication challenges experienced in the marketing team. Use the following addresses: Dr Hashmat Aabiedien CEO: Accenture Accounting Mountainview Office Park 195 Chartwell Avenue Sandton Johannesburg 2196 Saim Waqas Junior Marketing Coordinator Whittfall House 236 Boston Drive Sandton Johannesburg 2196 Page 15 of 16 6.2. Keep the following in mind when answering this question: i. Apart from following the instructions in the question and ensuring that the actual content of your answer is as per the instructions above, you should note that marks will also be awarded for the correct formatting conventions as applicable to the letter format. You must NOT use any AI tools to generate content. i. You will also be graded on the correct use of spelling, grammar and punctuation and writing fluency. Your letter should be approximately one to one-and-a-half pages in length ii. Take note of the following: ▪ Addresses, date, subject line, salutation, complimentary close, signature and name must be included and used correctly ▪ You must use the UK block format for the addresses ▪ Be polite ▪ Be concise ▪ Be exact (dates, times, names) ▪ You can use a personal tone of address in your writing in a limited way. 6.3. Mark allocation for Question 4: Business Letter MARK ALLOCATION FOR QUESTION 4: BUSINESS LETTER TASK DESCRIPTION MARKS 1. Format and layout 1.1. Addresses, UK block format, date, subject, salutation, complimentary close, sign-off 6 2. Grammar and language 2.1. Articulation, tense, fluency, sentence structure, formal tone, logical flow and paragraph structure 3 2.2. Spelling and punctuation 3 3. Content 3.1. Introduction and overview 3 3.2. Concerns regarding the different communication styles of the team 4 3.3. Actionable suggestions for overcoming the communication challenges 4 3.4. Closing 2 Penalisation (if any) Format, layout and structure Similarity: Rewriting the scenario, etc. Total 25 Page 16 of 16 7. SELF-ASSESSMENT AND SELF-REFLECTION QUESTIONS [5] Answer the following questions in full sentences. 1. What have you learnt (what knowledge have you gained) by doing this assessment, and what shortcomings have you identified? 2. What skills, abilities and orientations (attitudes and values) have you acquired by completing this assessment? 3. Which strengths could you apply in your future life and work environment concerning the learning outcomes formulated for this module? (Refer to each learning outcome in this respect, which can be found under section 2.2 of Tutorial Letter 101)