Unit 15 Business Communications and Relationship Management (F/650/2925) Assignment Brief 2026

Unit 15 Business Communications and Relationship Management Assignment Brief

Introduction

Effective communication and stakeholder relationships are essential for success in students’ management/leadership roles. They will be expected to establish good relationships with their organisation’s internal and external stakeholders, develop interpersonal skills and apply appropriate communication techniques to a variety  of situations.

In this unit, students will look at concepts of communication in organisations and how to select communication techniques that are fit for purpose. They will investigate  the contribution of interpersonal skills to successful relationship management  and consider ways to build positive relationships with partners, stakeholders and suppliers. They will develop knowledge of approaches to negotiation, influencing  and networking in a management/leadership context. Good pitching skills for a new product or service will generate sales and networking opportunities, while negotiating with different people and in different business transactions will secure more favourable deals. These transferable skills can be applied in various contexts  to add value to a business.

Learning Outcomes 

By the end of this unit students will be able to:

LO1   Employ a range of interpersonal skills and different approaches to partner, stakeholder and supplier relationship management

LO2   Work collaboratively to enable delivery through others and share good practice in a business context

LO3   Apply coaching and mentoring techniques to support learning and development of others

LO4   Deliver a pitch and negotiation to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.

Essential Content 

LO1 Employ a range of interpersonal skills and different approaches to partner, stakeholder and supplier relationship management

Relationship management:

The concept of relationship management and its value

Identification, analysis and management of relationships with internal and external stakeholders

Creating good working relationships by managing conflict, motivating team, increasing productivity, solving problems, networking effectively, asking the right questions, being clear and concise, identifying common ground and establishing trust and rapport.

Application of interpersonal skills in relationship management: 

• Developing interpersonal relationships with subordinates, colleagues, partners, customers and suppliers
• Chairing meetings in line with organisational requirements to communicate vision and goals
• Importance of developing emotional intelligence to;
• build high-quality connections with stakeholder; listening, understanding, challenging and managing their expectations
• strengthening relationships with feedback, expressing gratitude and appreciation.

Approaches to relationship management:

• Engagement with stakeholders e.g. being authentic, establishing shared goals and values, developing mutual respect
• Encouraging involvement e.g. excellent communication, openness, honesty, transparency
• Influencing stakeholders e.g. the ability of a leader to affect, shape or transform opinions (convincing) and behaviours and actions (persuading)
• Critical leadership competence: outcomes of influencing, commitment,  compliance, resistance
• Communicating organisational vision and goals to different stakeholders.

LO2 Work collaboratively to enable delivery through others and share good practice in a business context

Collaborative working techniques:

• Different types of collaboration e.g. open, closed, virtual
• Creating a trusting environment
• Setting clear objectives and actions
• Achieving buy-in, the personal benefits of collaboration
• Seeking views of others
• Seeking specialist advice and support to enable delivery against plans,  in accordance with organisational policy.

Networking:

• Establishing a mutually beneficial relationship e.g. informing others of benefits
• Creating new customers, new contacts and referrals
• Visibility, staying current
• Collaborating and problem-solving
• Sharing knowledge and experience with stakeholders.

LO3 Apply coaching and mentoring techniques to support learning and development of others 

Coaching:

Coaching in an organisational context e.g. when used as a training and development activity and motivational tool

The benefits of using coaching to improve performance at work e.g. enhancement of morale, motivation and productivity

Features of different coaching models and how they are used to structure coaching e.g. directive, non-directive

Coaching skills e.g. empathy and ability to understand others, effective feedback skills to coach team members to reach new goals, compassion as a relationshipbuilding skill, effective goal-setting, positive thinking.

Mentoring:

Mentoring as a training and development activity  Models of mentoring, including:

• Alred et al – three-stage model
• Kram’s four stages of the mentoring relationship
• developmental vs sponsorship mentoring
• work shadowing
• job or work rotation
• secondment

Stages in mentoring e.g. exploration, contracting, new understanding,  action planning

Factors affecting the choice of mentoring approach e.g. personal need/purpose of the mentee, experience of those involved, the availability of resources, proximity, access to technology, information security and record-keeping,  ethical considerations

Advantages and disadvantages of mentoring approaches used to improve performance in the workplace.

LO4 Deliver a pitch and negotiation to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage

Stages of the negotiation process: 

• Preparation and planning
• Discussion and defining ground rules
• Clarification of goals
• Negotiate and bargain towards a win–win outcome
• The five stages of conflict resolution
• Dealing with rejection and asking for referrals
• Tactics for avoiding misunderstanding
• Influencing skills e.g. listening closely, acknowledging others’ viewpoints, establishing rapport Agreement
• Implementation of a course of action.

Pitching and negotiation skills: 

• Audience awareness, research and sensitivity
• Competitor research
• Business and product narratives
• Structure and time
• Verbal and non-verbal communication to meet audience requirements
• Communicating with and persuading internal and external stakeholders
• Strong negotiation and sales skills e.g. active listening, persuasion, strategising, compromising, cooperating
• Presentation, behaviour and conduct of presenter e.g. attire, attitude, professional conduct, suitability for audience, preparation, organisation.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria 

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