Communicating and Influencing AO Example — 250-Word Statement
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 worked as a customer service assistant in a busy high-street shop. In January the company cut its returns window from 60 days to 28, and the tills team had to break the news to frustrated customers.
TMy job was to explain the change clearly at the till, keep goodwill, and avoid unnecessary escalations to the duty manager.
ABefore my first shift, I read the new policy and asked the manager why it had changed, so I could explain the reason honestly instead of just quoting a rule. I wrote myself three plain-English lines covering what had changed, why, and what options customers still had, such as exchanges and gift receipts. When customers became annoyed, I let them finish, acknowledged their frustration, and then explained their options calmly. I dropped jargon like policy compliance and said here is what I can do for you today instead. Where someone had a genuine reason to feel aggrieved, such as a gift bought before Christmas, I checked with the manager and agreed a fair workaround. After the first week I noticed the same questions at every till, so I suggested a small sign for the checkouts and a short script for the team, and the manager asked me to draft both.
RIn the following month our store escalated only 3 returns disputes to managers, compared with 19 in the first week of the change. My sign and script were adopted across the team, and I received two named compliments in customer surveys.
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
- Shows the Level 1 expectation of clear, honest, audience-aware communication: you explain the reason for the change in plain English rather than hiding behind the policy.
- Proves you think about your audience: you drafted a sign and a team script, choosing the right channel instead of repeating yourself at the till.
- The result is measurable (3 escalations versus 19), which is what lifts an AO statement from a 4 to a 5 at sift.
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
- Describing team communication ('we explained the change') without ever saying what you personally said or did.
- Claiming good communication as a personality trait ('I am a great communicator') instead of proving it through one example.
- Using the statement to complain about customers or colleagues, which reads as poor audience awareness.
Frequently asked questions
Any situation where you explained something and adjusted to your listener works well: calming an unhappy customer, helping a new colleague learn a task, or updating a volunteer group. Pick one occasion, describe what you said, how you checked understanding, and what changed as a result. Numbers help, even small ones like fewer repeat questions.
Yes. Assessors score the behaviour, not the setting. Running a club's social media, explaining rota changes to fellow volunteers or helping at a community event all count, as long as you show your own actions, the audience you were adapting to, and a clear result. Many strong AO statements come from outside paid work.
Most departments ask for 250 words per behaviour at AO, but check the job advert because some ask for 500 or use a character limit instead. Whatever the limit, keep the shape: two sentences of context, one on your responsibility, most words on your actions, and a short result.
Next step
Get the free AO statement template pack — the same STAR structure used in this example.
Download the template pack