THE COUNCIL OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES OF JAMAICA

COMMON COURSEWORK

SEMESTER I – SEPTEMBER 2021

PROGRAMME: GENERAL

COURSE NAME: ADMINISTRATIVE COMMUNICATION

CODE: COMM3501

YEAR GROUP: THREE

DUE DATE: TBD

ASSESSMENT TYPE: COURSEWORK 2 – BUSINESS PROPOSAL (Pitch and

Written) (20%)

INSTRUCTION:

A. Prepare an oral presentation (a Pitch) based on one of the following options. Visual aids
MUST be used.
B. Prepare the unsolicited business proposal (Written) including project cost breakdown and
action plan.

Oral Presentation 5 – 8 minutes. Visual aids must be used.

Choose one of the following topics:
i. Persuade your organization to make a change that will improve the organization’s image in
the community.
OR

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Administrative Communication
 ii. Convince the CEO of your company to purchase a communication network that will
improve connectivity during the work from home order that many governments have
instituted to prevent the spread of COVID 19.

OUTLINE OF CONTENT (PITCH/ORAL PRESENTATION)

1. Hook

Crafting the perfect subject line is imperative. Your subject line or opening sentence will be the
hook to capture your buyer’s attention. It is the difference between your client listening or simply
dismiss your pitch altogether.

Taking inspiration from the points stated above, your hook needs to connect with your buyer’s
needs while also communicating the story of your business. By getting these two aspects right,
you can successfully engage your customer and convince them to read on.

2. Solution

Once you’ve convinced your buyer to continue reading your pitch, you next need to show how
you can help them. Are you aware of a common issue that your buyer faces, which your product
or service can solve?
In your pitch, directly address the issues that your buyer faces. Then focus on how your product
or service can help fix these problems. By tackling the problem head on, your customers will see
that you have taken their needs into account and found the fix. What better way to prove the
brilliance of what you have to offer?

3. Facts

A survey conducted by Dimension Research found that 90% of respondents claimed that
reading positive online reviews influenced their buying decisions. With this statistic in mind,
your pitch needs to be full of facts and statistics that back up your claims.
When it comes to writing your sales pitch, be sure to include testimonials and case studies, which
also contain statistics and figures to prove the success of your product or service. If you claim
you can solve your buyer’s main problems, show them how with facts.

4. Call to Action

You should now have a pitch that addresses your buyer’s problems, shows how your product or
service offers a solution, and backs this up with facts and statistics to support your claim. The
next step is to give your buyer some clear instruction on what they need to do next.
So what would that be?
Ask for the sale, of course!
Incredibly, 85% of the interactions between salespeople and prospects end without the sales
person ever asking for the sale.

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Administrative Communication
Yes, you read that correctly, 85%!
By now, you’ve convinced your prospective customer of the brilliance of what you’re offering
and next up is how they can take advantage of your product or service. Do they need to click a
link to your website? Or pick up the phone and call you directly?
Don’t be shy to ask for the sale. You’ve come this far, so why stop now?
Whatever action is required; make it clear with a well-written call to action

TIPS

Short and sweet does the trick

The length of your pitch is important. If it’s too long, there’s a good chance your buyer will lose
interest and fail to continue listening. But getting your pitch to the perfect length is likely to
result in your buyer maintaining an interest right through to the end.

What could be worse than your pitch being ignored because it’s simply too long?
Remember; ditch the traditional idea of a pitch and keep your individual buyer’s needs at the
forefront of your mind. Tell the story of your brand and the success of your products and services
and back up with facts and statistics. Work hard to engage your audience and you’re sure to find
a winning formula to close all future sales pitches.

MARK SCHEME – PITCH/ORAL PRESENTATION

Oral Presentation will be graded as follows:

Content
Application/Persuasion 10 marks
Q&A 3 marks
Conclusion/ summing up 3 marks
Preparedness/knowledge 5 marks

Voice Control
Clarity/ Voice level 2 marks
Creativity 3 marks

Delivery
Gestures/posture/mannerisms 5 marks
Uniformity/attire 2 marks
Quality of the language/grammar used 2 marks
Organization 5 marks
Time Management 3 marks
Team work 2 marks

Visual Aids
Quality of Audio Visual Aids 5 marks
TOTAL (50 MARKS)

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Administrative Communication
WRITTEN BUSINESS PROPOSAL - MARK SCHEME
The following considerations should be made:
• Title page 2 marks
• Letter or Memo of Transmittal 3 marks
• Table of Contents 2 marks
• Executive Summary/ Abstract 2 marks

• INTRODUCTION 10 marks:
▪ Content- 5 marks, Use of English 3 marks, Organization- 2 marks
• BODY 20 marks:
▪ Content- 10 marks, Use of English – 5 marks, Organization- 5 marks
• CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS 10 marks:
▪ Content- 5 marks, Use of English – 3 marks, Organization - 2 marks

TOTAL 50 MARKS

*approximate length: 1500 words/ 6-7 pages

*Minimum number of audio-visuals: 4
Appendices

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Administrative Communication