Illustration showing a diverse group of business communication instructors gathered around an interconnected framework, symbolizing recurring teaching concerns such as relevance, engagement, rigor, and preparation for digital and AI-driven communication.
Over the past four decades of working with thousands of business communication instructors, I’ve noticed that their questions—though diverse—tend to circle around 12 core concerns. These questions reveal what truly matters in the classroom: relevance, engagement, rigor, and preparing students for the fast-changing world of digital and AI-driven communication.
Below are the 12 most common questions instructors ask me—and what I tell them.
How do I keep the course relevant when technology changes so quickly?
The key is to teach enduring communication principles alongside evolving tools. Business Communication Today, 16th Edition emphasizes timeless skills—clarity, ethics, persuasion, audience awareness—then shows how those same skills apply when using AI tools, social media, and digital channels. When students understand the principles, they can adapt to any technology that comes next.
How can I teach AI responsibly without letting it replace students’ writing?
The book’s approach is “AI as collaborator, not ghostwriter.” Students learn to prompt strategically, evaluate AI output for accuracy and tone, and then humanize drafts with empathy and critical thinking. The result: stronger writers who use AI intelligently rather than depend on it blindly.
What’s the best way to teach writing fundamentals in the digital age?
Digital tools can assist—but not replace—the fundamentals. The text integrates grammar, clarity, and tone throughout, reinforced by AI-assisted proofreading exercises and hands-on revision practice. Students still learn the craft of writing, but they do so in the context of modern tools they’ll use at work.
How do I make the course more engaging for today’s students?
Students respond to relevance and interactivity. Real company cases, data visualization, podcasts, and AI-driven scenarios make the course feel alive. Assignments such as analyzing an influencer’s crisis response or using Canva to create a visual message help students apply communication theory to real situations. Examine this resources page for a wealth of other tools you can use to energize and motivate your students.
How can I prepare students for diverse and global workplaces?
Intercultural and inclusive communication are woven throughout. From Dr. Lisa Su at AMD (Chapter 3) to cross-cultural communication frameworks, the course shows how diversity drives innovation—and how empathy, listening, and respect are now essential business skills.
How do I teach ethics in an era of misinformation and AI hallucinations?
Ethics can’t live in a single chapter anymore—it has to run through everything students read, write, and create. In Business Communication Today, ethical judgment is woven into every communication task. Students learn how to recognize ethical dilemmas as they arise, use AI tools transparently without crossing into plagiarism, and evaluate AI-generated content for accuracy, bias, privacy, and fairness.
Ethics in Action (Instructor Guide and Student Version) reinforces this integration by giving students repeated, real-world practice making principled communication decisions. Instead of memorizing rules, they develop the habits of ethical thinking needed to navigate misinformation, AI hallucinations, and high-stakes professional communication with confidence and credibility.
Ethics isn’t a separate topic—it’s embedded in every chapter. Students learn how to identify ethical dilemmas, avoid plagiarism with AI tools, and apply transparency in their messaging. They also practice evaluating whether AI-generated content respects privacy, truth, and fairness.
How do I balance teaching digital, social, and visual communication?
Think of them as layers of one skill set. Chapters 7–9 walk students through how to choose the right medium, compose for each channel, and design with purpose. They learn not only how to write, but how to see and show messages clearly—crucial for visual learners and digital natives alike.
How can I help students overcome presentation anxiety?
Every student can improve, and Chapter 16 shows how. The text emphasizes the neuroscience of confidence—turning nervousness into energy—and includes techniques for virtual, hybrid, and AI-enhanced presentations. Students also study how AI tools like Tome and Beautiful.ai can support, not replace, authentic human delivery.
How do I teach students to write negative or persuasive messages tactfully?
Chapters 11 and 12 are designed to help students handle tough communication challenges—from apologies (as illustrated by Apple’s real-world example) to persuasive proposals (as demonstrated by Sephora’s AI-driven storytelling). Students learn to pair empathy with strategy—an essential workplace skill.
How can I integrate real-world, job-ready communication practice?
The text connects every communication skill to employability. In the final chapters, students learn résumé writing, LinkedIn optimization, and interview communication strategies—all tied to current employer expectations and ATS systems like Workday. The message is clear: communication is career currency.
How do I teach teamwork and collaboration—especially in hybrid settings?
Students engage in collaborative writing, virtual meetings, and problem-solving exercises that mirror modern workplaces. They also learn how to collaborate with AI—treating it as a partner in brainstorming and editing while maintaining ownership of their work.
How do I measure learning outcomes effectively?
Each chapter aligns with AACSB, NACE, and institutional learning goals. Built-in assessment tools—chapter objectives, review questions, communication cases, and applied AI tasks—make it easy to verify student progress in both traditional and AI-related competencies.
These twelve questions reflect the heart of every instructor’s mission: preparing students to think critically, communicate ethically, and adapt confidently. The newest edition of Business Communication Today doesn’t just teach students how to write—it teaches them how to connect, lead, and thrive in an AI-driven world where human communication matters more than ever.
