Communicating and Influencing AO Example Statement (250 Words)
At AO, this behaviour is about clear, courteous, everyday communication. Assessors want a specific example where you explained something plainly, listened to the response, and adjusted what you said or did. A customer, colleague or volunteer example all works. Show your personal actions and end with a result you can point to.
Example statement
SI volunteer as membership secretary for a local netball club. Our match reports and trial dates reached very few people, the accounts had not been updated for months, and the club was struggling to attract new junior players.
TI offered to take over the club's social media accounts to raise attendance at trials and keep members better informed.
AI started by asking ten members, players and parents what they wanted from the accounts, and their answers shaped everything: fixture reminders, results, and photos, not long committee news. I set a weekly plan and wrote every post in plain, friendly language, short enough to read on a phone. For parents I posted practical details such as times, kit and parking; for players I used a lighter tone and tagged them in photos, with parental consent. Before the autumn trials I persuaded the head coach to record a 30-second welcome video, which I captioned so it worked without sound. When one post about a cancelled match caused confusion, I replied to every comment within the hour, corrected the information, and pinned a clear update. I also kept a simple note of which posts drove the most trial sign-ups and shared it with the committee each month, so they could see what was working.
RIn six months our followers grew from 320 to 780, and 24 new juniors attended trials, up from 9 the previous year. The committee has now made the role permanent and adopted my posting plan as club policy.
Use this as a model, not a script. This is an original example written for this site. Adapt the structure to your own experience — copying it word for word risks plagiarism and will not reflect your evidence.
Why this scores well
- Evidence comes from volunteering, which is fully valid at AO: the statement shows everyday audience awareness, asking users what they want before writing.
- Adapts tone and channel for two distinct audiences (parents and players), the core of this behaviour at Level 1.
- Handles pushback well (the cancelled-match confusion) and closes with numbers: followers up, sign-ups nearly trebled.
What AO level requires
| Grade | What assessors expect |
|---|---|
| AO ← this page | At AO level, Communicating and Influencing means getting everyday messages across clearly and politely, adapting your tone to the person in front of you, and checking they have understood. |
| EO | At EO level, Communicating and Influencing means tailoring your message to different audiences, choosing sensible channels, and starting to persuade with evidence rather than just passing on information. |
| HEO | At HEO level, Communicating and Influencing means communicating with impact across teams and external contacts, building an evidence-based case, and handling challenge constructively to win people over. |
Common mistakes at this level
- Ending with 'it went well' and no result: no numbers, no feedback, no change anyone could check.
- Copying jargon or scripts into the statement, which hides the plain-English skill assessors are looking for.
- Choosing an example where you simply passed on a message, with no listening, adapting or responding involved.
Frequently asked questions
Mainly communication. At AO the framework expects clear, confident, two-way communication: explaining plainly, listening, checking understanding. If your example includes a small influence, such as suggesting a new sign or script that the team adopted, that strengthens it, but nobody expects boardroom persuasion at this grade.
Avoid jargon, acronyms your reader may not know, and vague claims like excellent communication skills. Avoid 'we' for your own actions; write 'I' so assessors can score your contribution. And avoid filler openers such as 'I am writing to demonstrate'; go straight into the situation.
They compare it against the level descriptor and the sift scoring scale, usually 1 to 7. A mid-range score needs a clear, relevant example with your actions visible. Higher scores go to statements that show audience awareness, a deliberate choice of words or channel, and a specific, checkable result rather than a general claim it worked.
Next step
Get the free AO statement template pack — the same STAR structure used in this example.
Download the template pack