Readers can explore 13 teaching innovations presented at the 2020 Association for Business Communication (ABC) annual international conference hosted online. Typically held in a large hotel ballroom, this year's "My Favorite Assignment" sessions were adapted to an asynchronous virtual conference. These assignments are designed to teach…

In this article, the authors present the notion of perspective as a threshold concept in business communication. Using an SoTL framework, the researchers explore the effect of teaching threshold concepts in a summary writing assignment in a foundational business communication class. Working with a close reading methodology, the authors examine the…

This article features 12 teaching innovations presented at the 2020 Association for Business Communication (ABC) annual international conference held online due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Readers can explore the classroom methods designed to enhance students' individual and career skills, critical thinking, teamwork, and report writing…

As a communication tool, the creative brief should seamlessly blend business goals with creative vision. This article investigates the role the creative brief plays as an internal communication tool between account and creative teams. Two data sets were collected. Two open-ended e-mail surveys gathered responses from 33 agency account management…

This article offers readers 13 teaching innovations debuted at the 2018 Association for Business Communication's annual conference in Miami, Florida. The ideas include communication analysis, client assessment and reporting, and oral presentations--all designed to enhance students' communication skill building. Additional assignment support…

University educators everywhere are trying to assist students in improving their ability to write clear and correct business English. Business communication texts, in general, use several decades of research that have established a three-stage process: prewriting, writing, and rewriting (Collins & Parkhurst, 1996). Identifying and correcting…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to suggest ways in which business educators can interact successfully with reflective learning journals (RLJs). Specifically, the research was interested in how students used RLJs and how educators assessed these RLJs. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 31 RLJs, submitted as part of an international…

This paper examined the practice of using LinkedIn as a tool for teaching students how to create a professional online presence. A descriptive analysis of student LinkedIn profiles revealed that students included some basic requirements, but many students still neglected to fully complete the profile, thereby leaving out some important information…

This article is the first in a two-part series. It features 13 teaching innovations selected from the 60 "My Favorite Assignments" presented at the 2019 Association for Business Communication's annual international conference in Detroit, Michigan. Pedagogy presented includes experiential learning methods to teach how to deliver peer…

Educational simulations provide students authentic contexts. These authentic contexts require situated and complex real-world arguments. Such writing scenarios help students recognize why there are often multiple interpretations of evidence, who their audience is, what they want, and what kind of genre is needed. Playable Case Studies help…

Business and professional communicators increasingly rely on visual thinking and design strategies to create effective messages. The workplace need for such thinking, however, is not readily accommodated in current pedagogy. A long-running study abroad short course for American students taught in London provides a model for meeting this need.…

Readers can explore 13 teaching innovations presented at the 2019 Association for Business Communication annual international conference in Detroit, Michigan. These assignments are designed to add fuel to oral and written persuasion, including the practical use of rhetorical tools. Ideas to advance learners' professional development are presented.…

This article, the second of a two-part series, presents 12 assignments designed to help students increase their online communication skills, conduct professional conferences, use advanced presentation software, develop problem-solving and critical thinking, gain greater awareness of gender effects in communication, and perform community service.…

Typical business communication courses provide significantly more opportunities for students to hone their skills in writing compared with speaking. This article outlines an impromptu speech assignment and explains a course-level strategy for providing each student with more than 30 significant speaking opportunities during a term. This approach…

Higher Education mirrors the shifting nature of society and work. Mobility may provide unparalleled learning opportunities for all stakeholders; however, in order to live and work in plural societies as socially responsible and intercultural knowledgeable citizens, intercultural awareness and intercultural communication skills need to be mastered.…