Abstract
This article offers readers 13My Favorite Assignmentsthat were presented at the Association for Business Communication’s 83rd annual conference held in Miami, Florida, in 2018. The teaching innovations offered include assignments that present quick, fun icebreaker exercises; visual communication and diversity; rhetoric; email; and informational interviews. Additional assignment support materials—instructions to students, stimulus materials, slides, grading rubrics, frequently asked questions, and sample student projects—are posted on the Association for Business Communication and DePaul University Center for Sales Leadership websites:https://www.businesscommunication.org/page/assignmentsandhttps://salesleadershipcenter.com/research/business-professional-communication-quarterly-my-favorite-assignment
A record 44My Favorite Assignment(MFA) presenters took three stages at the 83rd Association for Business Communication’s (ABC) annual conference. The host city is a network of islands connected to the mainland by bridges. Taking inspiration from the conference’s Miami location,MFAoffers a bridge between the participants’ teaching ideas and the business communication classroom.
MFAtaps into ABC members’ deep need for practical, student-inspiring classroom experiences. In this article, readers will see a range of well-constructed, classroom-tested methods designed to teach students how to develop their professional and personal communication skills. Several ideas give the teacher fast, fun, classroom-energizing exercises that teach important communication principles. Today’s business communication environment features more and more visual tools, and this edition ofMFApresents ideas to inculcate visual communication skills to students. A grab bag of good ideas is offered on diversity, rhetoric, email, and informational interviews.
ABC members interested in exploring theFavorite Assignmentsfeatured in this article may download additional materials from the ABC and DePaul University Center for Sales Leadership websites:https://www.businesscommunication.org/page/assignmentsandhttps://salesleadershipcenter.com/research/business-professional-communication-quarterly-my-favorite-assignment.
Readers can consider instructions to students, stimulus and exercise materials, slides, grading rubrics, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and sample student work products.