Selections from the ABC 2014 Annual Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Let Favorite Assignments Ring: Sharpening Communication Tools and Self and Career Development

This article, the first of a two-part series, catalogs teaching innovations from the 2014 Association for Business Communication Annual Conference. These 12 assignments debuted during two "My Favorite Assignment" sessions. Learning experiences included job-seeking skills--résumé writing, writing job applications, sharpening interview skills, interview performance feedback via video, peers, and handheld mirrors and communication tools--creating effective graphs, charts and figures, interactive web-based communication, crafting PowerPoint slides, managing communication anxiety via the web, and corporate social media strategy/tactics. Additional teaching materials--instructions to students, stimulus materials, slides, grading rubrics, frequently asked questions, and sample student projects--are posted on http://businesscommunication.org/assignments.