Communication and negotiation integral to APC

Communication and negotiation is a mandatory competency to level 2 of the APC, and candidates across all pathways and routes must demonstrate that they meet requirements covering communication in writing, graphically and orally as well as the process and strategy of negotiation.

The best place to start with any competency is the APC guidance. The templates for the written submission contain useful prompts and guidance, and are available from the assessment portal.

The guidance provides examples of the knowledge required at level 1 and its application at level 2. 

Candidates are not expected to include content matching all examples though, and should be conscious not to exceed the 1,500-word limit for mandatory competencies. This represents about 90 words per competency per level – a challenge in itself.

Ideally your knowledge at this level will be supported by the source of that knowledge, such as a training course – which would link to your CPD record – university modules, on-the-job experience or structured reading.

You can start collating information by asking yourself what you know, how you know it and whether that knowledge meets the requirements. 

If you have received training on presentation software or spreadsheets, for example, you could use this to illustrate the source of your knowledge, noting that: 'I attended an in-house course on PowerPoint and learned how to produce an effective slideshow.'

Assessors will use your submission and the pathway guide as the basis for their questions, so when presented with examples such as your PowerPoint training they may ask the following.

• 'As a result of your training, what do you consider makes an effective presentation?'
• 'How do you ensure a presentation is suitable for its intended audience?'

To prepare for this, you can extract similar questions based on the content of your own submission document. 

For instance, if your degree included modules on communication or negotiation you could mention this, saying: 'At university I completed a module on effective negotiation, as part of which I learned the importance of establishing objectives and setting a strategy before entering any negotiation.'

Assessors may then consider asking: 'What did you learn from this module that has been beneficial in your current role?'

In particular, you should ensure you have a variety of actual, project-specific examples that the assessors can use as the basis for questioning.

You might say, for instance: 'On a school refurbishment project in Birmingham, I met the contractor each week to agree the value of instructions. I ensured the list of instructions was issued before the meeting. Where we disagreed on the value for additional cladding, I presented my basis for the valuation and we reached agreement.'

Try to avoid the use of generic statements such as 'I have been involved in many complex negotiations', 'I prepare lots of reports' or 'I agree the value of instructions across all projects for which I'm responsible'.

Thinking back to level 1 and the way the assessors base their questions on your submission, consider how much simpler it is to recall an actual negotiation you prepared for or talk through a report you compiled than it is to recall a good example from the 'many' or 'lots' you have carried out.

The use of project-specific examples allows you to focus immediately on the actual task, visualising the report or recalling the stages of your negotiation as a way to help with your responses.

When presented with specific examples at level 2, an assessor may consider asking questions such as the following.

• 'On the school refurbishment project in Birmingham, how did you go about agreeing the value of the instruction?' 
• 'What would you have done if you could not reach agreement on this value?'

You should also be prepared for follow-up questions such as: 'How did you record the outcome?'

A compliant submission provides the assessors with a good first impression. At interview, you have control over the first ten minutes as you present on your case study. Indeed, this is an excellent way for you to demonstrate your communication and presentation skills.

Ensure you cover mandatory competencies in your revision as you work towards your final interview. 

While it may be tempting to focus revision solely on those tricky level 3 technical competencies, you should ensure your revision covers all competencies – don’t rely solely on your everyday use of communication and negotiation to carry you through.

In preparation, consider what you have written and the questions the assessors may extract from this. 

Ask a colleague or mentor to question you based on your written work and review the pathway guide requirements and ensure your knowledge and experience covers the requirements.

At final assessment most candidates will be directly questioned on the Communication and negotiation competency. This should be clear, with the assessor saying something like: 'I am now going to ask you a question on your level 2 competency Communication and negotiation.'

However, some assessors may seek to ascertain that you meet the requirements through your responses to other competencies that require communication and negotiation. 

For example, when demonstrating compliance with your technical competencies you may talk through a cost report you produced or describe how you prepared for your final account negotiations, also showing that you have achieved Communication and negotiation.