Abstract
This article presents a curated collection of six teaching innovations presented at the Association for Business Communication 90th conference in Long Beach, California, as well as online, in October 2025. These My Favorite Assignment (MFA) presenters demonstrated various activities in helping students learn skills in communicating persuasively within business contexts. This My Favorite Assignment 33rd edition introduces readers to a wide variety of classroom-ready ideas that integrate persuasive skills. Teaching support materials—instructions to students, stimulus materials, slides, rubrics, frequently asked questions, links, and sample student projects—are downloadable from the Association for Business Communication website.
Kitty Locker, in her 2003 article analyzing both business and technical communication, commented on the role of persuasion in business writing: Business communication focuses on persuasion. The communicator’s problem is not primarily exposition—though some business issues can be highly arcane—but motivation: how do you make people adopt common goals? How do you make their commitment to work not merely a matter of mechanically meeting minimum expectations, but rather one of intelligence, creativity, and energy?” (p. 129).
Two decades later, as technology and workplace modes have affected business communication scenarios, the need to persuade and motivate one’s audience continues to be pivotal. Lucas et al. (2023) expand on the different competencies involved in the art of persuasion: Being persuasive is the most complex of all the business communication competencies. That is because being persuasive requires you to be skilled in all the other competencies, too. You have to be professional to get people to pay attention to your message and view you as a trustworthy communicator. You need to be clear in presenting your bottom line and organizing your argument so that your receiver will know exactly what you are proposing. You need to be concise so that you don’t waste your receiver’s time. And you need to be evidence-driven to ensure that your receiver is confident that you have a solid case. (Introduction to Persuasive section, para. 4)
In helping students master these competencies, the presenters at the Association for Business Communication (ABC) conference in October 2025 outlined outstanding ideas for teaching these skills in the classroom. This collection of assignments features six My Favorite Assignment presentations selected from the 55 teaching innovations presented at these popular sessions. All six of them focused on helping students develop skills in persuasion in business communication.
In their MFA sessions at the ABC conference, presenters have just three minutes to present their My Favorite Assignment idea to a highly appreciative audience. If a presenter speaks beyond three minutes, a bell is rung, signaling the end of their time on stage. Then every presenter receives the traditional My Favorite Assignment “thunderous applause” from their supportive ABC colleagues.
From this collection, readers can consider classroom-proven assignments designed to help learners improve their persuasive abilities in the context of business communication. The assignments that are described here include applying Monroe’s Motivated Sequence in group presentations (Monroe, 1945), using emotionally intelligent nonverbal cues in communication, role-playing various persuasive techniques, improving email messages using elements of persuasion, analyzing words for their persuasive appeal in messages, and reading articles critically to glean and analyze persuasive strategies.
If you are interested in exploring this article’s My Favorite Assignments in greater depth, you can download additional materials from http://www.businesscommunication.org/page/assignments, where readers can peruse learning objects, instructions, stimulus and exercise materials, slides, grading rubrics, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and sample student work products.
Defend Your Favorite Television Show: An In-Class Group Persuasive Presentation
Austin Peay State University, USA
Genre
Persuasion
The Assignment
Students sharpen their persuasion and presentation skills as they defend their favorite television show before an audience of their peers.
In this fast-moving, 20-minute (non-graded), in-classroom activity, students engage in an impromptu group presentation and apply the five steps of Monroe’s Motivated Sequence:
Grab attention
Identify the problem
Provide a solution
Visualize the solution
Call to action
Students prepare with a reading, a lesson, and a discussion on persuasion using Monroe’s Motivated Sequence (Monroe, 1945). The assignment involves the following steps:
Students are divided into groups of four or five.
Groups are given 10 minutes to complete the following: • Decide on a television program they would not want cancelled. • Allocate a step of Monroe’s Motivated Sequence to each team member. That person will be responsible for delivering that step during the presentation. • Prepare a short, cohesive, persuasive pitch designed to prevent media executives from cancelling their favorite TV show.
Each team stands and presents the persuasive proposal. The team presentations are approximately two minutes in length.
These impromptu presentations serve as examples to help students understand how Monroe’s Motivated Sequence (Monroe, 1945) might be applied in business communication. Teams come up with unique and surprising ways to grab the audience’s attention and call them to action. The assignment always features laughter along with the learning.
This assignment has consistently helped increase students’ understanding of persuasion strategies and decrease their public speaking anxiety.
Target Learners
Undergraduates
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Apply Monroe’s Motivated Sequence.
Collaborate in groups to create a presentation.
Speak publicly.
Observe a variety of ways to apply Monroe’s Motivated Sequence (Monroe, 1945) to the same type of persuasive message.
Time to Complete the Assignment
25 minutes.
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
a timer
a list of the five sequence steps. Each member is responsible for at least one of the five sequence steps
online considerations. While this tried-and-true activity works well in face-to-face classes, it is also an engaging activity for virtual synchronous class meetings
Evaluating Outcomes
Learners receive immediate peer feedback as classmates applaud and collectively decide if the presentation effectively demonstrates all five elements of Monroe’s Motivated Sequence (Monroe, 1945).
Support Materials
slides
Balancing Warm and Competent Nonverbal Communication
University of Utah, USA
Genre
Nonverbal
The Assignment
This activity helps students practice emotionally intelligent leadership by learning about and practicing nonverbal cues of warmth and competence. Leaders who project a balance of warm and competent nonverbal communication are more persuasive and trustworthy.
The goal is to develop self-awareness and adaptability in body language to effectively complement and support verbal communication.
First, the professor tells the students about the two key nonverbal communication concepts of warmth and competence. Then, examples of warmth, such as authentic smiles, open posture, and steady eye contact, are demonstrated. Other competence cues, such as turning towards a speaker, maintaining a relaxed ear to shoulder distance, and maintaining a level head position and level eye contact, are presented.
Then, once students know the skills and understand their impact, working in dyads, students practice taking turns being the speaker and listener. This involves three rounds of interaction:
In the first round, each person takes turns recommending a book, podcast, or television show while balancing nonverbal warmth and competence cues.
In the second round, students switch partners. In this round, they are asked to exaggerate, using nonverbal cues that are “too warm” and “too competent.”
In the third round, students switch partners again. In this round, they return to a more integrated approach in their nonverbal style.
The activity ends with a reflection about nonverbal communication awareness. Videotaping can be built into the activity, and students can review their videos for awareness and understanding.
Effective nonverbal communication aids comprehension and trust, and this activity gives students a safe, fun way to practice. By training students to use optimally warm and competent nonverbal communication, the activity can help them enhance their reputations as leaders and showcase their emotional intelligence.
Target Learners
Undergraduate, graduate, and executive education
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Increase awareness of nonverbal communication and its effects.
Practice nonverbal warmth cues to enhance persuasion and trust.
Practice nonverbal competence cues to enhance persuasion and trust.
Balance warmth and competence cues.
Time to Complete the Assignment
one hour (can be adjusted to a shorter format with less practice time)
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
lecture slides
Evaluating Outcomes
Activity is graded complete/incomplete. A rubric could be developed if instructors would like to require videotaping.
Support Materials
instructions to students
slides
Roll the Dice! Navigating Conflict With Different Communication Styles
University of Utah, USA
Genre
Interpersonal/Team
The Assignment
In this gamified activity, students will practice how to communicate difficult or negative messages in a professional, ethical, and empathetic way. Working in groups, students take on real workplace scenarios. The goal is to for students to apply concepts of nonverbal communication, ethics and power, and nonviolent communication (NVC) to manage these conversations effectively.
The activity is carried out in the following steps:
Students are put into groups of 4–6 members. One person is designated as the manager of the group.
The groups are given the following: • Three scenarios (e.g., an announcement of layoffs within a company, a company project needing modification, a violation of time-off policy in an organization, or other situations that involve difficult or negative messages) • Six communication styles to choose from: assertive, passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, submissive, and manipulative. Materials are provided to describe and explain these communication styles.
The group members roll a dice to determine both the scenario that the group will discuss and the communication style that each member will apply in their interaction.
The interaction takes place. Group members act out the scenario, with each member using the communication style chosen. As the group members respond in character, students practice adapting the message, managing emotions, and maintaining professionalism.
After each round, the group provides feedback on what worked well and what could be improved, especially regarding tone, clarity, and nonverbal cues. Once everyone has participated, the group will briefly discuss how different communication tactics and styles affected the outcome.
The activity is repeated, with a different group member taking on the role of the manager who delivers the message while others play the roles of employees with assigned communication styles. In the end, the activity is repeated enough so that each member of the group has had the opportunity to be the manager.
Students complete a short individual self-assessment reflecting on what they learned about their own communication style and how they handle conflict in workplace situations.
Target Learners
Undergraduate business or communication students in their second or third year
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Apply principles of nonverbal and nonviolent communication (NVC) in situations of workplace conflict.
Analyze and adapt communication strategies to different interpersonal styles.
Deliver negative or sensitive messages ethically and professionally.
Reflect on personal communication strengths and areas for growth.
Time to Complete the Assignment
90–200 minutes
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
set of dice for each group
handout of instructions
Evaluating Outcomes
Effective application of communication concepts ○ accurately applies nonverbal and nonviolent communication (NVC) strategies from the readings ○ demonstrates appropriate tone, clarity, and emotional intelligence when delivering negative or sensitive messages ○ demonstration of an understanding of ethical and professional communication principles in the feedback and observations
Adaptability to communication styles ○ identifies and adjusts to diverse communication styles (assertive, passive, aggressive, etc.) during role-play ○ shows awareness of how tone, wording, and body language affect outcomes in conflict situations ○ demonstrates flexibility and responsiveness rather than rigid or defensive communication
Collaborative and constructive participation ○ actively engages in the group exercise by both delivering messages and offering thoughtful feedback to peers ○ listens attentively, asks questions within assigned communication styles, and contributes to group discussion ○ supports a respectful and realistic simulation of workplace communication
Reflection and self-assessment insight
Self-assessment that demonstrates thoughtful reflection on communication strengths and challenges
Identification of specific strategies for improvement based on feedback and personal experience
Reflection that shows growth in ethical awareness, professionalism, and conflict management confidence
Support Materials
instructions to students
stimulus and exercise materials
slides
grading rubric
links to online materials
Analyzing Business Writing and Creating a Concise Presentation
University of Kansas, USA
Genre
BCom fundamentals
The Assignment
In this challenging assignment, students suggest changes to two business email messages and demonstrate their findings in an oral presentation. In the presentation, students are required to speak without notes and to use limited text on each slide in order to help them develop effective presentation skills.
The assignment develops skills in analysis, persuasion, PowerPoint slide design, and oral communication. It also provides a structured way to require each student to engage critically with the class concepts.
Students complete the following steps:
Analyze two sample business writing email messages: • One email message written by the student • One email message written from another individual in a business situation (This second example could be a message written to the student, or it could be a message that is publicly available.)
Identify two strategies used in each of the messages.
Offer three suggestions for improvements to each message, applying concepts from the class textbook or learning resources, to explain each strategy and improvement.
Create a PowerPoint presentation of 3–7 slides: • The first slide: Students describe a communication situation they have encountered in the past year. They explain the audience and situation to provide context. They also analyze the three goals (instrumental, relational, identity) in the situation. • The next 2–3 slides: Students provide and suggest improvements for a business email message written by them. In these slides, students complete the following: i. Explain the audience and purpose of the message, the strategies used in the initial message, the outcome, and some suggested improvements based on strategies learned in the course. ii. Include a screenshot from the textbook to indicate the course concept applied. iii. Include a screenshot of the original example and the student’s suggested improvements (with the student removing any confidential information). • The next 2–3 slides: Students analyze one business email message not written by them. They can select an email they have received, or they can select a business message that is available on a company website (e.g., an annual report, a press release, a blog, a report, or a message from the CEO). They should add a hyperlink to the message. In this part, students complete the following: i. Explain the audience and purpose of the message, describe strategies used by the author, and offer suggested improvements based on course concepts. ii. Include a screenshot from the textbook to indicate the course concept applied.
Give a 3- to 4-minute oral presentation, without notes, using the PowerPoint file.
In this assignment, rather than simply listing strategies and revisions, students must include annotations to critically analyze the message and demonstrate suggested improvements.
In online sections of a class, students can meet individually via Zoom with the instructor. Instructors can ask follow-up questions about the presentations given online to help the students expand on each analysis.
Target Learners
Sophomore and junior undergraduate business students. The assignment can be used in both hybrid and online sections of an undergraduate business writing class.
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Apply course concepts to analyze recent business messages.
Practice effective public speaking without notes.
Create clear PowerPoint slides.
Time to Complete the Assignment
Students can complete the presentation outside of class in one week. Presentation time is dependent on class enrollment. Presentations occur midsemester once students have learned the core competencies of business writing.
The assignment could involve a draft of the PowerPoint slides with peer review/instructor feedback to help improve the presentations (if time allows).
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
Students need access to laptops to create slides. Instructor needs to share slides on the classroom computer during each presentation.
Evaluating Outcomes
Presentations are graded during class by the instructor. Students are evaluated on slide design, content, length, and delivery (see the rubric provided in Support Materials).
Support Materials
instructions to students
slides
grading rubric
assignment adapted for online class
Two Truths and a Lie: Persuasive Communication
Florida Atlantic University, USA
Genre
Persuasion
The Assignment
This fun, engaging assignment helps students learn the importance of writing and speaking persuasively while avoiding words or phrases that are unappealing. Learners develop the ability to identify and apply persuasive language while understanding how language impacts audience interpretation.
Students write about three experiences, two being “truths” incorporating persuasive wording, and one being a “lie” using unappealing phrases. Then they read their experiences aloud to the class, who must guess the “lie.”
In completing the activity, students take the following steps:
Students brainstorm three memorable experiences from their own lives and write about them. • Two scenarios must be accurate portrayals of the experiences (the “truths”). • One scenario must be embellished or partly untrue (the “lie”). • Each experience should be one paragraph long and include relevant details. • Word choice is important. ○ The “truthful” experiences must include one or more of the “12 most appealing/persuasive words” in English (Leeds & Mohn, 2003, pp. 173–174). ○ The “lie” experience must include one of more of the “3 most unappealing/ powerless phrases” in English (Leeds & Mohn, 2003, pp. 168–169).
Students number each of their experiences in a random order (#1–3).
When called upon, each student rises to read each paragraph to the entire class.
The class votes to decide which of the experiences is the “lie.”
Students are alerted to notice an unappealing phrase. This is a clue to deciphering the truth from the lie. Of course, the truthful experiences should also stand out with persuasive wording.
Target Learners
Undergraduates
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Create a persuasive message.
Apply Leeds and Mohn’s (2003) “3 most unappealing/ powerless phrases” (pp. 168-169) and include one or more of these phrases in English for the “lie.”
Select and include Leeds and Mohn’s (2003) “12 most appealing/ persuasive words” in English for the “truthful” experiences (pp. 173-174).
Write brief paragraphs including relevant details.
Time to Complete the Assignment
20 minutes for the writing phase
1–2 minutes per student for the reading-aloud phase (Participants read their experiences and elicit audience reaction.)
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
In the Instructions to Students handout, directions and two lists will be provided:
list of “The 12 Most Appealing/ Persuasive Words in English” (Leeds & Mohn, 2003, pp. 173–174)
list of “The 3 Most Unappealing/ Powerless Phrases in English” (Leeds & Mohn, 2003, pp. 168–169)
Evaluating Outcomes
This should be a low-stakes assignment, so a class participation grade (completed/not completed) is recommended.
Support Materials
instructions to students
Teaching Argumentation through Active Learning
State of Sao Paulo Technological College, Brazil
Genre
Persuasion
The Assignment
In this active learning assignment, students read argumentative articles and classify the various arguments that the articles present. Students engage in active learning as they assess the effectiveness of the persuasive strategies in the articles.
The skills that students learn apply to various real-world situations in technical and business communication, such as justifying technical designs within a company, advocating for new technologies, influencing project directions, and ensuring the adoption of best practices in a given field.
The task is completed through the following steps:
The instructor provides students with comprehensive instruction, stimulus and exercise materials, and presentation slides, along with a detailed grading rubric to guide their learning.
Students are given three or four argumentative texts to critically analyze. The texts can be modern, ancient, or something in-between.
Students read the texts and identify, write down, and systematically classify the various types of arguments presented. They specifically focus on how persuasion (appealing to emotions and beliefs) and ethos (speaker's credibility) are constructed, and how these differ from convincing (based on facts and logic). In their analysis, students must not only categorize the arguments but also critically assess how effective they are. They discuss the specific techniques employed for their construction, and they evaluate their potential impact on target audiences, including implications for technical communication.
Students participate in active discussion with the instructor. This is the primary engagement of the activity, where they will collaboratively define and differentiate core rhetorical concepts.
This project employs an active learning methodology designed to teach fundamental argumentation principles, empowering students to articulate and defend their viewpoints effectively in professional technological contexts. Through iterative discussions, Aristotle's rhetorical triad—ethos, pathos, and logos—is introduced and explored. This structured engagement fosters a deeper understanding and practical application of argumentation, leading to significant student involvement and curiosity about the concepts and their real-world impact.
Target Learners
College students attending a technological program.
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Actively participate in guided discussions to collaboratively define and critically differentiate core rhetorical concepts, including rhetoric, persuasion, convincing, ethos, pathos, and logos.
Critically analyze and deconstruct diverse argumentative texts, accurately identifying specific instances of persuasion, convincing, and the strategic construction of ethos.
Systematically classify various types of arguments found within texts, articulating the underlying principles and assessing the effectiveness of each argumentative strategy.
Apply learned argumentation principles to evaluate and formulate effective communication strategies for professional scenarios, particularly within a technological context, to justify technical solutions, advocate for new project methodologies, or influence management, staff and clients in their field.
Time to Complete the Assignment
one day of instruction and discussion
one day of development by students (assisted by the instructor)
one day of presentations
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
paper
laptop computer
pen or pencil
Evaluating Outcomes
understanding and analysis (50%)
effective presentation (20%)
use of evidence and organization (20%)
writing correctness and style (10%)
Support Materials
instructions to students
stimulus and exercise materials
slides
grading rubric
This list of classroom assignments is the third of four My Favorite Assignment articles planned for 2026. Thanks to BPCQ Editor Robyn Walker‘s vision, additional My Favorite Assignments will also appear in this year’s December Business and Professional Communication Quarterly issues. Stay tuned for even more fantastic ideas for the classroom.
These My Favorite Assignment submissions were each anonymously peer-reviewed by three leading communication education scholars. We give special thanks to these dedicated individuals who lent their time and expertise in contributing to this article’s pedagogical creativity. Technical formatting was performed by DePaul University’s Liudas Davis. Liudas also helps curate My Favorite Assignment’s growing library of over 900 sets of teaching support materials.
As you read your colleagues’ ideas, perhaps you found yourself inspired to share your favorite assignment in business communication. We hope you will take the opportunity to share one of your teaching innovations at a future ABC conference.
Footnotes
Contributors
Conner, Melynda
Austin Peay State University, USA
Rausch, Georgi
University of Utah, USA
Canas, Kathryn
University of Utah, USA
Richards, Jessie Lynn
University of Utah, USA
Barrett, Laura
University of Kansas, USA
Nielsen, Sarah
Florida Atlantic University, USA
Magalhaes, Ana Lúcia
State of Sao Paulo Technological College, Brazil
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.