Writing Question

PART 1

This particular Touchstone gives you an opportunity to practice your productivity, technology, and self and social awareness skills. You will show that you can properly prepare to deliver a speech to your team. (Youll also have a chance to practice your self and social awareness skill as you craft your message.) Together, these skills will allow you to communicate your best with a variety of audiences and for a variety of purposes both in and outside work, making you more productive no matter what task you take on.

SCENARIO: You are a manager at Squidwork, Inc., which is a lucrative online boutique (e-commerce company) that has gone through massive growth in a short amount of time. Over the past two years, there has been an increase in revenue, the team has expanded significantly, and additional leadership has been added to each department. It is the hope of the company to go into the new fiscal year more efficient, structured, and equipped to continuously meet the demands of the modern-day consumer.

A mass communication with more details will be shared across the company.

ASSIGNMENT: In this assignment, as the manager, you will give a 3-5 minute informative speech to your team on the overall status of the company going into the new year. An informative speech is intended to deliver information. No call to action is required for this type of speech.

You will emphasize how the company is doing financially (growth and revenue), how the company has expanded, and address any areas of focus in the upcoming year. In your speech, you must emphasize the following key notes:

1. Financial status: Emphasize how the company is doing financially (growth and revenue)
   1. Significant increase in orders
   2. Two-year revenue climb
   3. Consistent improvement in orders and revenues in the past four quarters
2. Expansion: Mention the number of team members associated with the company and how the company has expanded
   1. Hired 115 new employees over several departments
   2. Total of 265 full-time employees
   3. Hired new COO
   4. New supervisory and managerial leadership in the following departments: Purchasing, Receiving, Merchandising/Channel Management, Listing, Customer Service, Picking, Packing/Shipping/Quality Control.
3. Areas of focus: Address the company goal to “become more efficient, structured, and equipped as a team to continue to meet the demands of the consumer.”
   1. Focus on collaboration across departments
   2. Invest in updated technology
   3. Monitor performance and adjust strategies as needed

Helpful Links:

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A. Directions

Step 1. Create a Speech Based on the Scenario Provided

Consider the audience and purpose and create your speech utilizing the five main parts of any speech:

Main Parts of a Speech	Description
1. Attention statement	Greet and address your audience with an attention statement that draws their focus to you and your speech.
2. Introduction	Clearly state the purpose of your speech, while engaging the audience and establishing credibility.
3. Body	Identify key areas that need to be addressed in your speech: Financial status: Emphasize how the company is doing financially (growth and revenue) Significant increase in orders Two-year revenue climb Consistent improvement in orders and revenues in the past four quarters Expansion: Mention the number of team members associated with the company and how the company has expanded Hired 115 new employees over several departments Total of 265 full-time employees Hired new COO New supervisory and managerial leadership in the following departments: Purchasing, Receiving, Merchandising/Channel Management, Listing, Customer Service, Picking, Packing/Shipping/Quality Control. Areas of focus: Address the company goal to “become more efficient, structured, and equipped as a team to continue to meet the demands of the consumer.” Focus on collaboration across departments Invest in updated technology Monitor performance and adjust strategies as needed
4: Conclusion	Summarize your speech by relating the key notes in the body to the overall topic.
5: Residual message	Leave a lasting impression on your audience by closing the speech in a memorable manner.

hint

Refer to for more on this style of organizing your speech.

Step 2: Create Notes

Create notes or bullet points that you can refer to while presenting your speech.

Step 3: Use Clear Language

Language is consistently clear and appropriate to the audience, helping the audience connect with the speaker and the topic. Where necessary, technical jargon is explained.

Step 4: Practice Speech

Practice presenting your speech. Deliver a speech that is 3 to 5 minutes in length.

Step 5: Review Rubric

Before filming, review the rubric to ensure that you understand how you will be evaluated.

Step 6: Film Speech

Film yourself presenting the speech. Be sure that you can be easily seen and heard, and direct your speech to the camera.

Step 7: Review Video

Review your video to ensure that you can be seen and heard. Refilm as needed.

Step 8: Review Checklist and Requirements

Review the checklist and requirements to ensure that your Touchstone is complete.

Step 9: Submit

Upload your video using the blue button at the top of this page.

Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.

The purpose of this speech is to be informative.

My speech has an introduction, body, and conclusion.

The introduction includes my key message (thesis).

The body includes my main points and support.

I have used language that is appropriate to my audience.

The conclusion summarizes my main points.

I have filmed a video of myself presenting my speech.

The video of my speech is 3 to 5 minutes in length.

I have reviewed the video and I can be easily heard and seen.

I have adhered to all of the requirements.

I have read through the rubric and I understand how my Touchstone will be evaluated

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B. Rubric

	Advanced (100%)	Proficient (85%)	Acceptable (75%)	Needs Improvement (50%)	Non-Performance (0%)
Purpose and Audience for an Informative Speech Effectively defines and aligns purpose and audience. (15%)	Includes a purpose and audience that are aligned, clear, and specific.	Includes a purpose and audience that are somewhat vague, lacking in detail, or are not well aligned.	Includes a purpose and audience that are mostly vague, lacking in detail, or are not well aligned.	Includes a purpose and audience, however they are not well aligned, they are vague, lacking in detail, or one element (purpose or audience) has not been included.	Does not include both purpose or audience.
Organization Organizes presentation using the five parts of a speech. (15%)	Speech structure meets all requirements, including an attention statement, an introduction, body, a conclusion, and a residual message.	Speech structure meets all requirements, however one part speech is underdeveloped.	Speech structure meets all requirements, however one or two parts of speech may be missing or underdeveloped.	Speech structure is missing more than two important parts of speech or are underdeveloped.	Speech structure is missing four or more parts of speech, or the requirements are misinterpreted/met inadequately.
Key Areas of Emphasis Incorporates key areas of emphasis into speech. (15%)	Incorporates all notes associated with the three key areas of emphasis: financial status, expansion, and areas of focus.	Incorporates most of the notes associated with the three key areas of emphasis, but one area may be underdeveloped.	Incorporates only some of the notes associated with the three key areas of emphasis, or leaves out one area entirely.	Incorporates minimal notes associated with the three key areas, or leaves out more than one area entirely.	Does not incorporates key areas of emphasis into speech.
Appropriateness to Audience Uses language and tone that are appropriate to a diverse professional setting. (15%)	Continuously uses language and tone that are appropriate to a diverse professional background.	Generally uses language and tone that are appropriate to a diverse professional setting with one or two exceptions.	Generally uses language and tone that are appropriate to a diverse professional setting with a few exceptions.	Uses language and tone that are often inappropriate for a diverse professional setting.	Uses language and tone that are so unprofessional that no points can be given.
Verbal Skills Is attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation throughout speech. (15%)	Is attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation throughout speech.	Is generally attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation with one or two exceptions.	Is generally attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation with a few exceptions.	Is inattentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation; parts of the speech may be effective but other parts are in a monotone or a tone inappropriate to the message.	Speech is so inarticulate and poorly delivered that no points can be given.
Professional Presentation and Nonverbal Skills Uses gestures, facial expressions, and other body language to clarify, support, and dramatize parts of the speech. Speaker minimizes distracting and unintentional gestures, facial expressions, or movements. (15%)	Uses gestures, facial expressions, and other body language to clarify, support, and dramatize parts of the speech. Speaker minimizes distracting and unintentional gestures, facial expressions, or movements.	Generally uses intentional body language and avoids distracting body language with one or two exceptions.	Adequately uses intentional body language and avoids distracting body language with a few exceptions.	Insufficiently uses body language and/or has distracting body language that undermines their speech.	Use of body language is so absent or inappropriate no points can be given.
Time Management Makes effective use of the full three to five minutes without either finishing early or going over by more than a few seconds. (10%)	Makes effective use of the full three to five minutes without either finishing early or going over by more than a few seconds.	Runs a little short or a little long by no more than 30 seconds.	Runs a little short or a little long by no more than a minute. .	Runs well short or long by over a minute.	Speech is so brief or so long it is not an appropriate response to the assignment.

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C. Requirements

The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:

• Video should be 3 to 5 minutes in length.
• All video content must be original for this assignment and appropriate for an academic context.
• Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
• Video submission should include your name and the date.
• Any video file format is acceptable.

PART 2

This particular Touchstone gives you an opportunity to practice your communication, technology, and productivity skills. You will show that you can use written communication, digital tools, and time management to solve a customer issue. (Youll also have a chance to practice your self and social awareness skill as you craft your message.) Together, these skills will allow you to communicate your best with a variety of audiences and for a variety of purposes both in and outside work, making you more productive no matter what task you take on.

SCENARIO: On Monday morning, you arrive at work and discover you have an email from your manager, Sara, about a customer service issue. She is worried because one of the companys most important clients did not receive their shipment. While she acknowledges it isnt your fault, she needs you to work quickly to resolve the issue. Her email outlines some tasks that must be completed in order to address the problem and fast track the solution:

So last Friday, our client didnt receive their shipment, and now its Monday, making it three days late. We need this problem fixed soon. I need you to email Renee Colon, the client, right away. Apologize for the delay and let her know were fixing this issue, but dont overdo it. Make sure they know we appreciate their business. Then, contact Accounts Receivable. Have them issue a full refund on the customers delivery costs and send confirmation of the refund to them as well. Make sure the client is not charged for the new delivery either. And have Shipping expedite the new shipment and send tracking info to the customer. If you contact both departments by the end of today, Accounts Receivable should be done by Tuesday at the latest, and Shipping should have the package out the door with tracking by Wednesday.

The table below lists the relevant tasks and deadlines that need to be done to accomplish the stated goals.

Goal	Task	Due Date	Status
Inform customer	Email Renee Colon	Monday	To do
Inform relevant departments	Contact Accounts Receivable (AR)	Monday (end of day)	To do
	Contact Shipping	Monday (end of day)	To do
Refund customer	AR issues refund to customer	Tuesday	To do
	AR does not charge for replacement	Tuesday	To do
	AR sends confirmation to customer	Tuesday	To do
Ship replacement package	Package is expedited	Wednesday	To do
	Tracking info sent to customer	Wednesday	To do

ASSIGNMENT: This assignment has two parts. The first part is to prepare a clear and concise email communication (no more than two paragraphs in the body of the email) to the customer that will inform them about the new delivery date and the refund to compensate for the inconvenience.

The second part is to communicate an internal plan regarding the refunding and redelivery of the shipment. You will draft a message to your colleagues in the Accounts Receivable and Shipping departments about the time frame of each task that clearly identifies who has which task and by what time it needs to be completed. You will need to select an appropriate tool to communicate this message to your colleagues and explain why this would be an effective tool for this purpose.

For this assignment, you will:

• Demonstrate your ability to craft messages for the appropriate purpose, tone, structure, and audience.
• Be sure to include all the important information you need to communicate.
• Select an appropriate tool for workplace communication.
• Edit your messages for organization and style, ensuring professionalism with respect to formatting, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Download the template below, which further breaks down the steps involved in this assignment. You will return the completed template as your Touchstone submission.

download

Helpful Links:

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A. Directions

Step 1: Download Template

Download the .

Step 2: Complete Each Part

Complete each part of the template using the scenario from above.

Part 1: Customer Email

Review the scenario and email message from your manager. Then write an email message to the customer (no more than two body paragraphs) that informs them about the new delivery date and the refund to compensate for the inconvenience. Your message should be limited to no more than 12 sentences or 200 words.

Review your message to ensure that:

• It includes information relevant for the customer, including the purpose of the email and how the errors will be addressed.
• It emphasizes important points using style mechanics common in professional writing.
• It uses professional language and tone appropriate for a response to an important customer.

Part 2: Communicate a Time-Based Task

Review the scenario and email message from your manager. Also, review the to-do items that need to be completed and their deadlines in the chart above.

Based on this information, you will need to communicate an internal plan regarding the refund and redelivery of the shipment by drafting a message to your colleagues in the Accounts Receivable and Shipping Departments. Your message should clearly identify who has what task and the time frame for completion.

Select an appropriate tool from the following list to communicate this message to your colleagues. Explain why this would be an effective tool for this purpose.

• Chat message (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams)
• Email (e.g., Microsoft Outlook)
• Video Message (e.g., Webex, Zoom)
• Text message (e.g., Android of iOS text messaging)
• Voicemail (e.g., Conference phone, cell phones / smartphones, Google Voice)

Then, construct your message. Format it appropriately for the tool you have selected. If you selected a video message or voicemail tool, provide a written transcript of your message below. Your message should be limited to no more than 12 sentences or 200 words.

Review your message and make edits to ensure that:

• It clearly identifies who has what to-do item and by what time it needs to be completed.
• It emphasizes important points.
• It uses professional language and tone appropriate for internal communication with coworkers.

Step 3: Review Checklist and Requirements

Review the checklist and requirements to ensure that your Touchstone is complete.

Step 4: Submit

Upload your template using the blue button at the top of this page.

Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.

1. Email to the Customer

Have you communicated all essential information to the customer regarding the actions you will take?

Have you chosen the appropriate language and tone for this audience?

2. Message to Your Team

Have you communicated all essential information to your team regarding the tasks and timeline?

Have you clearly designated roles and responsibilities relating to the tasks?

Have you identified the tool from the list provided on the template that you will use to deliver your message?

Have you explained your reasons for choosing this tool?

Have you structured your message with this specific tool in mind?

3. Formatting and Conventions

Have you formatted both messages using the Touchstone template provided?

Have you revised, edited, and proofread your messages to ensure they are clear and error-free?

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B. Rubric

	Advanced (100%)	Proficient (85%)	Acceptable (75%)	Needs Improvement (50%)	Non-Performance (0%)
Customer Email: Tone and Language Compose a professional email to the customer that uses appropriate tone and language for the audience. (20%)	Tone and language are appropriate for the audience.	Tone and language are mostly appropriate for the audience.	Tone and language are satisfactory for the audience but would benefit from revision.	Tone and language are mostly inappropriate for the audience.	Tone and language are entirely inappropriate for the audience, or there is no email to the customer present in the submission.
Customer Email: Content Communicate all necessary information to the customer, including the purpose of the email and how the errors will be addressed. (20%)	Includes all necessary information in the email to the customer, clearly identifying the purpose of the email and how the errors will be addressed.	Includes most of the necessary information in the email to the customer, mostly identifying the purpose of the email and how the errors will be addressed.	Includes some necessary information in the email to the customer, partially identifying the purpose of the email and how the errors will be addressed.	Includes little necessary information in the email for the customer, incorrectly identifying the purpose of the email and how the errors will be addressed.	Does not include the necessary information in the email, neither identifying the purpose of the email nor how the errors will be addressed, or student did not submit.
Team Message: Content Craft a message that will go to colleagues and includes all relevant information. (20%)	Submits a comprehensive message to colleagues that includes all relevant information.	Submits a complete message to colleagues that includes most relevant information.	Submits a message to colleagues that includes some relevant information.	Submits a message to colleagues that includes little relevant information or that includes irrelevant information.	Does not craft a message to colleagues, or does not include any relevant information.
Team Message: Responsibilities Clearly identify the responsibilities of each team member and the timeline for each task. (20%)	Communicates clearly about the timeline for each task to the team, including all of the necessary information on who has which task and by what time it needs to be completed.	Communicates clearly about the timeline for each task to the team, including most of the necessary information on who has which task and by what time it needs to be completed.	Communicates about the timeline for each task to the team, including some of the necessary information on who has which task and by what time it needs to be completed.	Communicates about the timeline for each task to the team, but does not include who has which task and by what time it needs to be completed.	Does not clearly identify the responsibilities of each team member nor the timeline for each task.
Team Message: Choice of Tool Choose an appropriate tool to communicate the message to colleagues and explain why that tool was chosen. (10%)	Chooses the most effective tool to communicate the message and provides valid reasoning for this selection.	Chooses an effective tool to communicate the message and provides some reasoning for this selection.	Chooses a sufficiently appropriate tool to communicate the message, and provides minimal reasoning for this selection.	Chooses an inappropriate tool to communicate the message. Reasoning for the tool choice is unclear.	Does not choose a tool to communicate the message, or does not explain why that tool was chosen.
Formatting and Conventions Professionally format both messages and ensure they are clear and virtually free of errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling. (10%)	Messages are professionally formatted with clear, well-written sentences. Contain no grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors.	Messages are professionally formatted with mostly clear, well-written sentences. May contain 1-2 minor grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors.	Messages show inconsistent formatting and/or contain some unclear sentences. May contain 2-4 grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors.	Messages lack clarity and/or consistent formatting. May contain more than four grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors.	Messages are wholly lacking in clarity, and/or consistent formatting. Contains many grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors.

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C. Requirements

The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:

• Each email message should be limited to no more than 12 sentences or 200 words.
• Use a readable 12-point font.
• All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
• Composition must be original and written for this assignment.
• Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
• Submission must include your name and the date.
• Include all of the assignment components in a single file.
  • Acceptable file formats include .doc and .docx

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