Abstract
Innovative classroom-tested approaches to cross-cultural communication—diversity, equity, and inclusion—and personal and professional development are featured. Readers can explore 10 teaching creations debuted at the 2023 My Favorite Assignment sessions at the Association for Business Communication Annual International Conference held in Denver, Colorado, USA.
Like the Rocky Mountains that stand sentinel over Denver, Colorado, USA—the host city for the 88th Association for Business Communication (ABC) International Conference—The My Favorite Assignment (MFA) sessions launched classroom innovations that were rock solid, lofty, deeply grounded, and at times, magical.
Rapt audiences in five conference sessions—both virtual (two sessions) and in-person at Denver’s Grand Hyatt hotel (three sessions)—scaled new creative heights as presenters revealed practical new approaches to teaching cross-cultural communication—diversity, equity, and inclusion—and personal and professional development.
Like mountain climbers readying themselves to summit the Rockies, MFA presenters have to prepare themselves for a demanding, even daunting, experience. Imagine standing before a room filled with your professional colleagues. Your goal is to share your favorite pedagogical invention in only 3 minutes. You know that should you fail to hit that deadline, the dreaded bell will ring out announcing your failure to the entire room. Your psychic wounds will be quickly salved as you feel the audience’s traditional Thunderous Applause wash over you. While the challenge of applying one’s message packaging and delivery skills to igniting interest in one’s invention in only 3 minutes is intimidating, the ABC audiences are warm, supportive, and deeply appreciative of all those who have the generous heart and character to bring their ideas forward.
Instructor Resources
When the reader sees a likely assignment, they can tap the tools they will need to bring the learning experience to their classroom. For example, ABC’s collection of teaching support materials includes instructions to students, stimulus and exercise materials, slides, grading rubrics, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and sample student work products. These materials can be found on the ABC web page at https://www.businesscommunication.org/page/assignments, available to ABC members. Materials are also available on DePaul University’s Center for Sales Leadership page: https://salesleadershipcenter.com/research/business-professional-communication-quarterly-my-favorite-assignment
Writing
Cross-Cultural
Yes . . . And: Improv to Improve Cultural Connections in the Classroom
Indiana University, USA
Genre
Improvisation; cultural communication; active listening; experiential learning; teamwork, diversity, equity, and inclusion
The Assignment
Students learn to embrace cultural differences as they play an improv theatre game bringing fast-paced fun and excitement into the classroom. The Yes . . . And improv technique, developed by Chicago’s famed Second City Improv Comedy Group (Spolin, 1999), introduces a playful way to explore each student’s unique cultural perspective while identifying commonalities that can build a productive team culture.
How Yes . . . works:
The goal is for people to cooperatively create new ideas using fast, top-of-mind thinking. For example, the exercise begins with the first student making a statement directed at the second student. The listener’s response upon hearing the first student’s statement has four components:
Say “Yes”
Express understanding of the first person’s idea
Say “And”
Share additional or new information on the first person’s topic
The Yes . . . And Method:
Groups of four to six students are given a prompt for each team member. The prompts are statements about topics, for example, “Shopping for antique furniture is so much fun,” or “Dogs make the best pets.” Following the principle of the Yes . . . And improv technique, the first student says the statement. The second student responds to the first person’s statement in a very specific way acknowledging the information that was just shared and building on the first response with their own creative idea. For example, the second student could say, “Yes, many people love having a dog in their lives, and many people have great relationships with cats.” The round continues until each student has taken a turn.
After teams have completed doing a Yes . . . And participants debrief the experience. Students may also be asked to complete an individual reflection assignment to consider more deeply the learning objectives and their own reaction to the activity.
This learning experience requires active listening and intentionality around seeking meaningful connections with teammates.
Target Learners
Undergraduate or graduate
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
• Identify distinctive aspects of their cultures to share with their teammates.
• Apply active listening skills via the “Yes . . . And” technique seeking to reveal cultural commonalities.
• Recognize the unique team culture produced among team members.
• Reflect on the importance of appreciating and embracing cultural differences.
Time to Complete the Assignment
60-75 minutes
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
It is important that when creating their response, the second person does not judge the first person’s original statement, that is, determining if they agree or not. The method requires that the second person expresses understanding of the first person’s statement then adds to it. Making judgment and expressing one’s agreement or disagreement can inhibit the creative, personal disclosure process. Yes . . . And creates a positive state of mind that fuels creativity and cooperation.
• Activity prompts and debrief questions (see Support Materials below)
• Meetings for four- to six-person teams
• Some participants by nature prefer pondering ideas. They don’t quickly create responses. Classroom leaders should take care to support students preferring to mull over ideas.
Evaluating Outcomes
• Large group debrief
• Activity reflection assignment
• End-of-project peer evaluations
Support Materials
• Instructions to students
• Stimulus and exercise materials
• Slides
• Sample student work product
ePen Pals Without Borders: Cultivating Intercultural Competence in the Age of Information Barriers
Baylor University, USA
Genre
Email message packaging, email formatting, written communication, cross-cultural communication, relationship building, message packaging, experiential learning
The Assignment
Students exchange a series of email messages with their counterparts who are studying English at a foreign university. This email-based intercultural learning project is designed to enhance participants’ intercultural communication competence. Learners may also experience the Internet’s growing information barriers and global government interference as they exchange messages.
This virtual exchange initiative connects students enrolled in a business communication course in the United States with their counterparts in an English/Business English course at a foreign university. This learning experience can serve as a convenient alternative to traditional study abroad programs.
First, American students compose a 300- to 600-word email to their overseas counterpart applying these email conventions:
• Greetings
• Stating the purpose
• Self-introduction
The message also contains questions selected from various topics:
• Cultural identities
• The reader’s major and future career
• Organizational culture
• Social media and technology
• Values and worldview
• Tradition and change
Email messages close with a statement expressing goodwill.
Next, the Americans respond to the other culture correspondent’s email, maintaining a minimum length of 300 words. Messages include:
• Greetings
• Addressing the American’s questions
• Providing additional perspectives
• Optional further questions
• Expressing goodwill
Finally, all learners participate in a reflective discussion board where participants explore:
• Communication styles
• Cultural awareness
• Challenges faced
• Interpersonal skills
• Perspective taking
• Cultural sensitivity
• Learning outcomes
• Suggestions for improvement
The overarching goal is to fortify intercultural communication skills, encourage cultural awareness, and deepen global perspectives.
Target Learners
• Junior and seniors
• Can be expanded to other year levels and majors
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
• Cultivate advanced intercultural communication skills through routine message writing.
• Deepen understanding of global perspectives on email exchanges.
• Enhance cultural awareness.
• Navigate communication style differences.
• Write clear and culturally sensitive messages in cross-cultural contexts.
• Foster effective communication.
Time to Complete the Assignment
2 weeks for each component
1 hour for each of the three components
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
• A list of students from a foreign university
• Counterpart students’ email addresses
• Intercultural sensitivity training session.
Evaluating Outcomes
A grading rubric is offered (see Support Materials below)
Support Materials
• Instructions to students
• Slides
• Grading rubric
• FAQs
• Sample student work product
Toward Global Citizenship With COIL
Florida International University, USA
Genre
Teamwork, cross-cultural communication, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)
The Assignment
This dynamic learning experience connects students around the world through co-taught multicultural online coursework. Learners engage in intercultural dialogue as they create unique, meaningful projects.
This assignment applies techniques modeled by Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) (Rubin, 2017), an innovative educational model for building global competencies using technology. This method can be applied in a wide variety of course learning objectives, scope, and content.
First, learners engage in icebreaker exercise. Students introduce themselves, interact with their peers, and prepare to enroll in teams.
Then, students deepen relationships with their new colleagues as they create a video that envisions international collaboration in research and observation. The video includes segments showing participant’s homeland including monuments, buildings, and landscapes. The video also includes interviews with members of the students’ home cultures.
Finally, participant teams craft a final project presentation and reflection on their international collaboration. They present to their fellow learners. A discussion follows the presentations. The final materials are submitted to the LMS for grading.
Participants are awarded certificates as evidence of their intercultural competence and engagement.
This assignment develops
• Intercultural awareness
• Global perspectives
• Global engagement
• Real-life, meaningful interactions with peers from a different country
• In-depth study of a business communication topic
• Thoughtful application of the course learning concepts to creative project work.
Target Learners
Undergraduate and graduate students
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
• Develop global awareness of business communication practices.
• Identify verbal and nonverbal communication rules and rituals in different cultures.
• Apply video production techniques.
• Understand the interconnectedness of local, global, and international business systems.
• Develop a global perspective through the observation and analysis of different approaches and multiple perspectives on the same business phenomenon or practice.
• Engage in local, global, international, and intercultural problem solving through in-depth research of problems and search for solutions.
• Enhance their technology-mediated business communication skills via multiple technological applications and platforms.
• Experience successful remote collaboration and co-creation.
Time to Complete the Assignment
4 to 6 weeks
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
Remote communication systems and platforms: Padlet, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Dropbox, YouTube
Evaluating Outcomes
Students partake in an intercultural COIL experience outside the classroom, creating videos on a wide variety of professional, business, or cultural topics. Students are graded on:
• Posting an icebreaker video (10% of grade)
• Participating in a synchronous international meeting (10% of grade)
• Participating in a virtual asynchronous discussion (10% of grade)
• Posting a final team digital video product (50% of grade)
• Submitting a one- to one-and-a-half-page reflection that connects the course concepts with real experience of intercultural communication (20% of grade).
Evaluation process
A four-point rubric is used to evaluate the student’s intercultural competence, global perspective-taking, and readiness to engage in local, global, international, and intercultural problem solving.
Minimum criteria for success
Score of 60
Support Materials
• Instructions to students
• Slides
• Sample student work product
Personal and Professional Development
Elon Musk: An Activity for Gen Z
BYU-Hawaii, USA
Genre
Personal branding, group discussion, message strategy, professional development, experiential exercise
The Assignment
In this interactive exercise, students learn about and reflect on the concept of personal branding.
First, the class reads the Jeff Bezos quote “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Students are broken up into groups of two or three to discuss Bezos’s quote in the context of large, well-known brands such as Nike, Apple, etc.
Next, the concept of personal branding is introduced to the class with a discussion on the importance of reputation, how individuals present themselves to the public and how they are perceived by others.
Then, the classroom is divided into four corners, with each corner assigned a level from one to four, where one represents a positive perception of Elon Musk, and four represents a negative perception. Students select a corner that matches their view of Musk. Each group writes three words on a board to summarize Musk’s personal brand and share them with the rest of the groups, highlighting how varied and different the answers are for a polarizing personality.
Finally, students return to their seats to reflect on their own personal brands. They write down three words or characteristics they believe represent their personal brand. In small groups, they discuss if the words they feel make up his/her personal brand match the perception of their classmates. Individuals then edit their branding words as needed.
The instructor wraps up the activity by emphasizing the importance of authenticity in personal branding and the potential impact on their future endeavors.
Target Learners
Undergraduate
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
• Understand the importance of reputation and public perception in personal branding.
• Develop their own personal brand by writing down three words or characteristics they believe represent their personal brand.
• Recognize the importance of authenticity in personal branding and the potential impact on their future endeavors.
Time to Complete the Assignment
50 minutes
Evaluating Outcomes
Students should informally share with the class or formally submit their three words in writing to the teacher to ensure that everyone participated.
Support Materials
Slides
Springboard from Strengths to Star Communicator
Franklin University, USA
Genre
Professional development, presentation, career preparation, personal strengths
The Assignment
When we better understand what we are good at, we can better leverage our strengths in our professional and personal lives. This assignment is the first in a four-part professional development series of assignments that culminates with a professional development plan. This first assignment helps students reflect on their Values In Action (VIA) strengths, connecting those strengths to communication competencies and professional aspirations.
First, students complete a VIA self-assessment to find their top five strengths.
Next, students create a 2-minute video on how their strengths relate to communication skills. For example, leadership is linked to encouraging collaboration and motivation.
Finally, students provide feedback on three classmates’ self-assessment videos.
This assignment serves as a “springboard,” adaptable for different assessments and resources. Variations may include addressing weaknesses through the lowest VIA scores or employing a personal SWOT analysis.
The final three professional development assignments have students audit a job post, conduct a gap-analysis, and create a professional development plan. The professional development plan emphasizes current strengths, weaknesses, and lifelong learning, prompting students to explore professional associations and resources in their discipline.
Target Learners
Sophomores, juniors, seniors
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
• Describe how personal strengths are related to communication skills.
• Explain how personal strengths might be further developed and applied to career goals.
• Apply the principles of visual design to a presentation to increase clarity and audience interest.
Time to Complete the Assignment
1½ to 2 hours
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
• The VIA strengths assessment at: https://www.viacharacter.org/personality-assessments
• Smart-phone with video or laptop camera and microphone
• Guest presenters, such as Career Development staff, may contribute insights on leveraging strengths and addressing weaknesses for career success.
Evaluating Outcomes
Grading rubric provided (see Support Materials below)
Support Materials
• Instructions to students
• Slides
• Grading rubric
• Sample student work product
• Links to online material
Lessons From Failure
University of Utah, USA
Genre
Presentation, leadership, storytelling, writing, reflection, personal development
The Assignment
In this assignment, students write stories about a time they failed. They write about the incident, what they learned, and how they have moved on from the failure. During the assignment, students learn storytelling skills, understand growth mindset, and begin to compile tools for their leadership communication toolkit.
To begin, students learn Aristotle’s basic three-act story telling structure: exposition, climax, and denouement. Then, they craft stories about failure that follow this basic structure, where the failure is the climax moment. They present the stories as short speeches to the class and get feedback.
The reason this assignment focuses on failure is because Dweck’s (2006) research on growth mindset shows that mistakes and failures are opportunities to improve and grow. Therefore, as students admit to, explain, and make sense of their past failures, they are learning and teaching others how to improve and grow their skills and abilities. They normalize failure as part of business and leadership.
In addition to helping students learn storytelling and improve their writing and speaking skills, these short failure story speeches can be used by leaders as excellent teaching moments for their employees. Instead of “telling” employees what to do, students learn to narratively show their employees how to navigate potential setbacks and grow their skills as a lifelong practice of growth mindset in leadership.
Target Learners
Undergraduate, MBA, Executive Education
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
• Learn and practice Aristotle’s three-act story structure.
• Understand the values and practices of a growth mindset.
• Develop lessons to use in their leadership communication toolkits.
Time to Complete the Assignment
3 to 4 hours
Evaluating Outcomes
Grading rubric is provided (see Support Materials below).
Support Materials
• Instructions to students
• Slides
• Grading rubric
• Sample student work product
Unlikely Perspectives: An Exercise for Crafting Voice in the Professional Summary
Baylor University, USA
Genre
Invention exercise, biography writing, professional development, career preparation
The Assignment
Students writing a LinkedIn bio or professional summary are often inclined to adopt a pseudo-professional voice and create content unoriginal to them. The result is writing that makes students seem one-dimensional and like a copy of everyone else. A simple exercise can support students in adopting a distinct voice and crafting a bio that offers an authentic insight into who they are.
Before writing a LinkedIn bio in professional summary form, students receive best practices and this prompt:
Follow the best practices but write an unprofessional summary from the perspective of an animal or inanimate object in your house. The bio is about you but as if the animal or object is describing you from their point of view.
Students also receive an example:
If my dog Max wrote my unprofessional summary: “Innovates doggie caretaking with problem-solving activities like hide and seek. Meets canine exercise goals with fast-paced bicycle rides. Develops creative solutions for separation anxiety: peanut butter distractions, soothing music stations, and pre-departure walkies.”
Next, students have 15 to 20 minutes to develop a bio they will post to a discussion board and then read to the class. Finally, everyone shares their unprofessional bio, and the class discusses how the quality of voice surfaces in each one. The discussion time is also an opportunity to examine the best practices in a fun, low-stakes manner.
Target Learners
Juniors
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
• Adopt a distinct voice.
• Practice viewing themselves from another perspective .
• Achieve focus and develop a main idea or theme .
• Examine the structure of phrases closely .
Time to Complete the Assignment
15 to 20 minutes
Evaluating Outcomes
This is a nongraded learning experience.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Team Oral Presentation on Inclusive Language
University of Minnesota Duluth, USA
Genre
Oral presentation; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; group work; reflection; presentations
The Assignment
In this interactive activity, students research inclusive language principles and learn about noninclusive terms. In groups, they present their findings to the class and then reflect on their DEI learning.
The instructor begins this activity by discussing definitions of inclusive language and the importance of inclusive language in business communication. The instructor provides the students resources on these topics, such as the APA Inclusive Language Guide and the Linguistic Society of America Guidelines for Inclusive Language.
The students then form teams and discuss categories for inclusivity focus, such as:
• Age
• Disability
• Incarceration history
• Religion
• Sexual orientation
• Gender and gender identity
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Culture
• Socioeconomic status
• Veteran status
• Native and indigenous nation background
Student teams then review these resources, each focusing on a specific category. The teams give presentations in which they highlight two to three inclusive language principles and identify 6 to 10 noninclusive terms from their category, explaining their origins, evaluating why they are problematic, and suggesting alternatives.
The activity, spanning two class periods, also involves team reflections on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) learning.
Target Learners
Undergraduate and graduate students
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
• Raise awareness of inclusive language.
• Support the use of inclusive language.
• Communicate more effectively in business communication.
• Be prepared to adapt to a diversifying society.
Time to Complete the Assignment
Two class periods
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
A list of inclusive language guidelines
Evaluating Outcomes
Students are evaluated on:
• Oral presentation skills
• Reflections on DEI learning from this activity
Support Materials
• Instructions to students
• Stimulus and exercise materials
• Links to online material
Why Inclusive Teaching and Training Matters
Weber State University, USA
Genre
Classroom discussion; small group; inclusive teaching; diversity, equity, and inclusion; writing; reflection
The Assignment
This classroom discussion–based assignment specifically challenges students to become active participants in inclusive teaching in their classrooms. As existing research has indicated extensive and varied positive impacts of inclusive teaching strategies, this activity serves to strengthen students’ awareness of inclusive teaching.
Step 1
Learners are given a short definition of inclusivity and are provided a few examples to jumpstart the conversation. Then, the instructor asks students to give examples of what they think inclusive teaching is and why it matters.
Step 2
The instructor then gives additional (more in-depth and/or less obvious) examples and shows the extensive existing research on the benefits for both individual students and the classroom environment.
Step 3
The instructor reopens the conversation to students, asking them to again articulate and describe why it matters. At this step, the instructor should challenge students to step outside of themselves and their own experiences/identities to understand how it would feel to experience their identity not represented in classroom assignments, examples, readings, etc., or if materials and assignments were inaccessible. This is particularly helpful in areas that may have more homogeneous populations. Finally, students should be asked how they can help their instructors be more inclusive in the classroom.
Optional Step 4
The instructor can include a written component to assign after the discussion. This can either be an assessment of the examples and research presented or simply a self-reflection for students to consider these issues further after the discussion is over.
Target Learners
Undergraduate, graduate, executive education
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
• Define and understand inclusive teaching.
• Provide examples of inclusive teaching strategies.
• Articulate why inclusive teaching strategies matter.
• Understand how to encourage inclusivity in the classroom.
Time to Complete the Assignment
10-minute short version
30 to 60 minutes ideal for class discussion and learning
Evaluating Outcomes
• Participant engagement in the classroom discussion.
• More robust evaluation: students write a response after the class discussion.
Support Materials
• Instructions to students
• Stimulus and exercise materials
• Slides
• Grading rubric (for self-reflection additional option)
• FAQs
• Sample student work product
• Links to online material
• Reference list to published research on inclusive teaching.
Exploring Biases in Communication and Cultivating Inclusive Team Dynamics
Indiana University, USA
Genre
Teamwork; diversity, equity, and inclusion; inherent biases; reflection; team contract; active listening; collaborative writing; cross-cultural communication
The Assignment
Learners explore their inherent biases, enhance their communication skills, and gain an understanding of inclusive practices in this collaborative assignment.
First, students prepare exploring biases and stereotypes by reading the BBC.com article “The Pervasive Problem of Linguistic Racism” (Ro, 2021). Learners are encouraged to take notes on the article’s key concepts of linguistic biases and their impact on communication.
Next, teams are formed. The teams create a team contract. The foundation of this contract is based on the exploration of biases and stereotypes that might impact their communication and work.
The contract
• Establish three to five ground rules. Consider the insights gained from the article and in team discussions.
• List two to three inclusive practices that all students on the team agree to implement to foster equitable participation and collaboration.
• Compile the team contract into a cohesive document and submit it to the class LMS (e.g., Blackboard, D2L, Canvas).
Discussion
probes Team discussion may be stimulated using the following questions:
• In what ways might linguistic biases affect our perceptions of competence within the team?
• How can we improve our listening skills to accommodate team members with limited English abilities?
• What implicit biases might we have when working with individuals perceived as “different” from us?
• What strategies can we employ to make our team meetings more inclusive and ensure every voice is heard?
• How can we approach team writing to ensure equitable contributions and collective improvement?
Target Learners
Freshmen and sophomore
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
• Develop critical awareness by analyzing the nuances of linguistic biases discussed in the assigned article.
• Collaboratively create a team contract, establishing ground rules and inclusive practices that promote equitable participation, respect diverse perspectives, and enhance overall team effectiveness.
• Cultivate critical awareness of how biases can impact perceptions of competence and collaboration within a team.
• Enhance communication competence and improve their communication skills.
• Explore effective listening strategies when interacting with team members possessing limited English abilities.
• Foster an environment of mutual understanding.
• Recognize and mitigate implicit biases.
• Identify and address implicit biases that may arise when collaborating with individuals perceived as “different.
• Foster a proactive approach to creating an inclusive team dynamic.
• Apply inclusive teamwork strategies.
Time to Complete the Assignment
15 minutes: individual reading before class
30 minutes: team discussion in class
1-2 hours: collaborative writing after class.
Materials, Equipment, Special Consideration
• Access to collaboration platforms (e.g., Google Docs, Microsoft Teams) for working on the team contract.
• Instructors should monitor the discussion process and encourage open communication.
• It is important to establish norms that promote inclusive participation, allowing all team members to contribute comfortably.
Evaluating Outcomes
• Clear articulation of ground rules fostering respectful communication and equal participation.
• Thoughtful inclusion of practices that promote inclusivity and address potential biases.
• Application of insights from the assigned article to the team contract.
• Evidence of collaborative effort in the development of the team contract.
Summary
This article is the 33rd in the My Favorite Assignment collection. Readers can see more of the Favorite Assignments introduced at the October 2023 ABC Annual International Conference in the March and June 2024 issues of Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. An additional article is planned for the December 2024 issue.
This collection of Favorite Assignments was peer reviewed by 41 leading business communication educators. Their contribution is essential to ensuring MFA’s quality in advancing business communication pedagogy. Special thanks to expert advisor Tina M. Ricca for her strategic and editorial expertise and guidance. DePaul University’s Jeff Sachs lent his sharply honed technical formatting. Andrew Cavanaugh produced the My Favorite Assignment conference onsite and virtual sessions with savvy and aplomb. He and Jeff also curate the My Favorite Assignment library of over 900 teaching support materials posted on the ABC webpage: businesscommunication.org
You can join these fun, fast-paced MFA sessions at the 89th annual Association for Business Communication conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA (October 16–19, 2024, and Online October 28–30, 2024).
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
