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Entrepreneurial Mindsets & Rhetorical Canons: Enhancing Business Communication Pedagogy via Cross-Disciplinary Theory, Praxis

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Title: Entrepreneurial Mindsets & Rhetorical Canons: Enhancing Business Communication Pedagogy via Cross-Disciplinary Theory, Praxis
Language: English
Authors: Josie A. Burks (ORCID 0000-0002-3941-0109), Craig E. Armstrong
Source: Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. 2026 89(2):280-299.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Tests/Questionnaires
Descriptors: Business Education, Business Communication, Rhetoric, Teaching Methods, Interdisciplinary Approach, Educational Theories, Praxis, Entrepreneurship, Persuasive Discourse, Rhetorical Invention
DOI: 10.1177/23294906241230675
ISSN: 2329-4922
2329-4906
Abstract: Business and professional communication courses hold special opportunities to contribute to students' development of entrepreneurial mindsets through the use and extension of classical rhetorical theory and praxis. We situate pedagogical activities within the context of the entrepreneurial venture pitch by using Rhetorical Canons of "invention," "arrangement," "style," "memory," and "delivery" to develop oral discourse while recognizing and developing entrepreneurial mindsets. We utilize elements of entrepreneurial mindset development presented by Kuratko et?al. and Daspit et?al. to introduce business and professional communication instructors to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects contributing to the establishment of entrepreneurial mindsets.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1514726
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0193858329;[h95b]01jun.26;2026May22.01:34;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0193858329-1">Entrepreneurial Mindsets & Rhetorical Canons: Enhancing Business Communication Pedagogy via Cross-disciplinary Theory, Praxis </title> <p>Business and professional communication courses hold special opportunities to contribute to students' development of entrepreneurial mindsets through the use and extension of classical rhetorical theory and praxis. We situate pedagogical activities within the context of the entrepreneurial venture pitch by using Rhetorical Canons of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery to develop oral discourse while recognizing and developing entrepreneurial mindsets. We utilize elements of entrepreneurial mindset development presented by Kuratko et al. and Daspit et al. to introduce business and professional communication instructors to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects contributing to the establishment of entrepreneurial mindsets.</p> <p>Keywords: rhetorical canons; entrepreneurial mindset; venture pitch</p> <p>Philosophers of the classical age often worked to familiarize and equip students with processes that allowed agility and adaptability during various rhetorical situations required of public life in the classical period. One specific example included the use of rhetorical canons, specifically those of <emph>invention</emph>, <emph>arrangement</emph>, <emph>style</emph>, <emph>memory</emph>, and <emph>delivery</emph>. Rhetorical skills gained during business and professional communication courses begin preparing students to "pivot and respond to the changing demands of context and audience" ([<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref1">21</reflink>], p. 4) encountered within professional environments. As business and professional communication instructors and practitioners, we face similar demands as those faced by classical philosophers in that we must equip our students with processes necessary to respond and communicate effectively during times of great uncertainty and change often encountered within dynamic professional landscapes. Grounding business and professional coursework in the rhetorical tradition primes students to begin recognizing the ways in which potential audiences think, feel, do, know, understand, or believe ([<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref2">32</reflink>]), elements pertinent and applicable to any professional field.</p> <p>Entrepreneurial mindsets (EM) represent a "cognitive perspective that enables an individual to create value by recognizing and acting on opportunities, making decisions with limited information, and remaining adaptive and resilient in conditions that are often uncertain and complex" ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref3">11</reflink>], p. 17). Borrowing from the field of corporate entrepreneurship whose general purpose is "revitalization of innovation by embracing individuals' ability to act entrepreneurially in corporations" ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref4">20</reflink>], p. 133), educators saw utility in entrepreneurship theory and praxis as a means to promote the development of EMs among students and "broaden the entrepreneurial mindset concept to apply not just in start-ups, but in corporate entrepreneurship and innovation, social entrepreneurship, and creative problem solving in general" ([<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref5">25</reflink>], p. 2). Ultimately courses providing an introduction to EMs provide students with a new lens through which to view and apply innovation, decision making, problem solving, and opportunity recognition.</p> <p>At first blush, one might question the proximity of EMs to classical rhetorical canons. However, upon closer inspection, it appears two perspectives share a close connection, and ultimately complement one another by equipping students with the needed skills of agility and adaptability required to problem solve within dynamic professional landscapes. As cross-disciplinary interest in approaching professional fields through EMs grows, business and professional communication courses hold special territory to complement and contribute to students' development of EMs through the application of classical rhetorical canons. By combining the five rhetorical canons of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery presented by Cicero, Quintilian, and the anonymous <emph>Rhetorica ad Herennium</emph> with [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref6">11</reflink>] cognitive, behavioral, and emotional antecedents of EM, we propose a pedagogical activity that utilizes the rhetorical canons as a process used to aid students in the systematic development of an EM through the creation and delivery of an Entrepreneurial Venture Pitch (EVP).</p> <p>The remainder of this article is organized as follows: first, we briefly highlight classical rhetoric and its utilization in the contemporary business and professional communication classroom. We utilize the defining elements of EM development presented by [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref7">11</reflink>] to introduce business and professional communication instructors and practitioners to the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional elements and corresponding antecedents contributing to the development of an EM. Next, we briefly discuss the EVP. Finally, to help students begin recognizing and implementing EM, we present a case report detailing a pedagogical activity in which students identify antecedents of EM at the individual level specific to the areas of cognition, emotion, and behavior by creating and presenting a venture pitch constructed using the elements of the five rhetorical canons.</p> <hd id="AN0193858329-2">Classical Rhetorical Canons in Contemporary Business and Professional Communication Classroom...</hd> <p>Classical rhetorical theory has long provided students with necessary skills required to become agile and adaptable orators. The rhetorical canons of Invention, Arrangement, Style, Memory, and Delivery represented tools used to help educate speakers on the use of persuasion in rhetorical situations they encountered in everyday life. These tools were highly important to individuals of the classical period, as they were often expected to declaim at a moment's notice within an agora or other public square. Invention represents a concern "with the subject matter, with finding out the question at issue, which is called the stasis or status, and the appropriate arguments to use in proof or reputation" ([<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref8">17</reflink>], p. 10). Arrangement focuses on the organization structure utilized to construct a particular oral discourse. Style is represented by the four virtues of correctness, clarity, ornamentation, and propriety. Memory utilizes necessary mnemonic devices to aid in memory of the content and organization of the intended presentation. Finally, delivery represents all verbal and nonverbal elements of communication utilized by a speaker during an oral discourse. The longevity and presence of rhetorical canons not only in business and professional communication classrooms, but academic curriculums at large, signify time-tested pedagogies ripe for application within entrepreneurial settings.</p> <p>Business communication represents "transactional, problem-solving communication that involves creating and disseminating work-related messages through appropriate channels, while being sensitive to the needs of the audience, the context, and culture" ([<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref9">22</reflink>], p. 1). Much in the same way citizens of the classical period were required to be agile and adaptable orators, ready to declaim at a moment's notice in various settings, those in business and professional communication settings, specifically entrepreneurial settings, must also acquire agility and adaptability in persuading audiences to support a specific venture or innovation. The EVP as taught in a foundational entrepreneurship course might appear to be a rather static exercise requiring very little agility and adaptability of a speaker in anticipation of an audience's needs or demands specific to a time, place, or medium through which a pitch is delivered. This manifests in the pitcher's needing to adapt to such elements as a moderator's cues, the audience's reactions, or follow-up questions, while also adjusting delivery, redirecting emphasis from certain aspects to others, and cleverly winning over audience members initially skeptical of nascent products, services, or innovations being pitched. These instances encourage agility and adaptability by repurposing dissonance or interruptions encountered during a pitch to practical opportunities in which to display one's ability to adapt their delivery to meet demands posed by specific audiences. A critical remark from a potential resource provider can be viewed as a means to build trust and turn that resource provider into a collaborator who also wants the same outcome. In similar fashion to classical philosophers emphasizing the importance of developing strong written and oral skills, and being able to tailor messages to different audiences and situations, we recognize an opportunity to help students gain those same skills through today's business and professional communication courses to become agile and adaptable orators through the introduction to the practical concept of EVPs.</p> <hd id="AN0193858329-3">Defining and Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset</hd> <p>The concept of Entrepreneurial Mindsets (EMs) was first defined by [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref10">24</reflink>] as an individual's ability to "sense, act, and mobilize under uncertain conditions" (p. 15). As this definition was overly broad (it could apply to "anyone" experiencing uncertain conditions) and focused more on corporate entrepreneurship and organizational audiences, scholars sought to provide clarity through more focused definitions of this entrepreneurial concept. Because of the relative newness of the EM term within the entrepreneurial lexicon and literature, scholars have offered a range of definitions in efforts to better understand the concept ([<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref11">25</reflink>]). As the conversation surrounding EM grew, a shift in focus allowed EM to be viewed as a collection of unique elements occurring not only at the firm and environmental levels but also inside individual entrepreneurs. Elements highlighting innovation, decision making, problem solving, and opportunity recognition began to add depth of understanding to this entrepreneurial concept. Functioning as a decision-making tool, much in the same way as heuristics, EM prompts entrepreneurs to develop "growth oriented perspective[s] through which individuals promote flexibility, creativity, continuous innovation, and renewal" ([<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref12">16</reflink>], p. 968) and highlight their abilities to "rapidly sense, act, and mobilize in response to a judgmental decision under uncertainty about a possible opportunity for gain" ([<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref13">33</reflink>], p. 62). This is realized by an individual applying "adaptable thinking and decision-making in complex, uncertain and dynamic environments" ([<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref14">28</reflink>], p. 159). The EM ultimately takes root within environments rich in both novelty and uncertainty ([<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref15">2</reflink>], p. 519), and allows innovation to prosper.</p> <p>Recent additions to EM literature expand previous focuses of innovation, decision making, problem solving, and opportunity recognition to include elements of cognition, behavior, and emotion as contributions to the development of an [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref16">11</reflink>] define EM as "a cognitive perspective that enables an individual to create value by recognizing and acting on opportunities, making decisions with limited information, and remaining adaptive and resilient in conditions that are often uncertain and complex" (p. 17), further supporting and clarifying definitions provided by [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref17">12</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref18">26</reflink>], and [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref19">19</reflink>]. Pulling from the works of [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref20">19</reflink>] and [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref21">11</reflink>], focus begins to shift to elements of cognition, behavior, and emotion, as antecedents for EM mindset development.</p> <p>Overwhelmingly, EM definitions represent three broad areas of focus: cognitive, emotional, and behavioral. [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref22">11</reflink>], after conducting an exhaustive literature review of research and pedagogical articles focusing on EMs, add depth to the understanding and application of these three areas of focus by proposing five antecedents and four resulting outcomes specific to EM development within individual, firm, and environmental levels. The antecedents include metacognition, self-efficacy, experience, self-exploration, and disposition, while the outcomes consist of identity renewal, balancing conflicting goals, escalation of commitment, and venture launch decisions. When it comes to pursuing resources to finance their new ventures, entrepreneurs organize these three areas of focus, with all of their antecedents and outcomes, into a form of communication unique to entrepreneurship: the entrepreneurial venture pitch ("EVP;" [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref23">3</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0193858329-4">What Is an Entrepreneurial Venture Pitch, anyway?</hd> <p>Accessing financial capital often presents a significant hurdle for entrepreneurs seeking to create or execute a new venture ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref24">5</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref25">29</reflink>]) because of the questions of newness, legitimacy, and uncertainty ([<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref26">3</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref27">35</reflink>]) associated with fledgling ventures. These founders find themselves and their ventures in the difficult location that exists in the space between what is real or tangible and what has yet to occur ([<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref28">1</reflink>]). To overcome these hurdles, entrepreneurs face the daunting task of creating and delivering a successful pitch in order to persuade investors to provide much needed funding for their venture ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref29">9</reflink>]). The early-stage entrepreneurial venture pitch (EVP) represents a timed persuasive discourse presented to potential angel investors by entrepreneurs representing early-stage ventures facing the overwhelmingly difficult task of acquiring capital while simultaneously signaling to angel investors abilities to overcome questions of newness, legitimacy, and uncertainty ([<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref30">3</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref31">10</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref32">13</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref33">23</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref34">31</reflink>]). EVPs allow investors a brief glimpse into elements of coachability ([<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref35">8</reflink>]), decision making ([<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref36">34</reflink>]), and passion ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref37">4</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref38">23</reflink>]) of the entrepreneur.</p> <p>EVPs represent one of, if not the most, recognizable forms of persuasive discourse associated with entrepreneurship. The EVP, specifically, achieved global recognition through primetime television shows such as Shark Tank and Dragon's Den, online pitching platforms such as Global Pitch, Kickstarter, GoFundMe, and Indiegogo, as well as global startup incubators and university pitching competitions. The design and creation of an EVP, from initial drafting to final delivery, represents a "key business soft skill, which all business graduates should master, whether they are selling/branding themselves in an interview situation, presenting their ideas to management, or pitching to venture capitalists/business angels to secure funding" ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref39">10</reflink>], p. 121). The stakes are high, not just for the fate of a single new venture but for the practice of entrepreneurship and our understanding of the processes entrepreneurs use to signal legitimacy to attract resources.</p> <p>Students enter a professional landscape that requires the ability to continually evolve and innovate within their specific role within an organization. Innovators such as Tesla's Elon Musk, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Alphabet's Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, and Netflix's Reed Hastings forced a seismic shift in the expectations companies hold for themselves and their employees. For example, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings created and made publicly available a 125-slide deck articulating the mindset and values he expected from all Netflix employees ([<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref40">15</reflink>]). One of Netflix's valued behaviors is communication; the deck explicitly calls out listening well and seeking to understand before responding, being calm in stressful situations, writing and thinking in a concise and coherent manner, and adapting communication styles to work effectively with people from different backgrounds. His slide deck is regarded as an effective recruiting tool, not only for attracting effective people but also for dissuading ineffective people to seek jobs at Netflix. This slide deck has had a substantial impact on the way many companies now think about corporate culture; the deck has been viewed over 15 million times on Slideshare ([<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref41">14</reflink>]). No longer is it simply enough to be able to do one thing well within a company or organization. Entrepreneurial mindset development, working in tandem with the venture pitch, fosters the skills needed for business and professional communication students to problem solve, recognize and act upon environmental opportunities, and persuasively pitch their findings to stakeholders.</p> <hd id="AN0193858329-5">Case Report: "Introducing Rhetorical Canons as an aid to EM Development" Canonical and EM Cro...</hd> <p>Highlighting "the rhetorical exigence of workplace communication and the use of communication to solve business problems or achieve business goals" ([<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref42">21</reflink>], p. 2) reveals an intersection of classical rhetorical theory and EM development that stands to provide business and professional communication students with practical problem solving and professional communication skills gained through in-class activities designed to introduce students to these concepts. EMs enable individuals to recognize problems, act upon opportunities that arise, and provide solutions to problems within a particular environment. At the same time, classical rhetorical canons provide individuals with processes necessary to create, organize, and deliver oral discourses that communicate to specific audiences' problems and solutions recognized by those utilizing an EM. The combined utility of these concepts represents an opportunity for business and professional communication educators to expand students' abilities to problem solve and communicate within business environments. How, though, do we practically apply these concepts within a classroom setting?</p> <p>As business and professional communication instructors and practitioners, we typically utilize both short- and long-form informative and persuasive presentations, as well as mock interviews (both computer-mediated and in-person), negotiations, and in-class debates as primary classroom activities used to teach, practice, and refine oral communication. By teaching business and professional communication students the purpose, mechanics, and applications of an EVP, we open new pathways for students to succeed within the dynamic professional landscapes in which they participate. We present an in-class project that allows students to begin recognizing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral antecedents necessary for the development of EMs through the construction of an entrepreneurial venture pitch systematically developed utilizing canonical elements of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Students utilize multiple class meetings to create an entrepreneurial venture pitch whose purpose addresses a particular problem or opportunity facing a specific customer within the geographic community surrounding the institute of higher learning they attend. For ease of instruction, we suggested to our students using college students as a potential customer. Students represent individuals within this customer segment, therefore, possessing first-hand knowledge of, and experience with, identifying problems and pain points often encountered. For the purposes of this assignment, each pitch lasts no more than two (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref43">2</reflink>) minutes and focuses on detailing a problem faced by a particular customer, the proposed venture and unique value proposition the student suggests, and a specific capital request from potential audience members. As these are strictly ventures situated at the idea stage, meaning they represent solely the proposal of a venture, emphasis should be placed on the students' identifying potential customers affected by the identified problem and articulating a viable solution to be implemented through the creation of an entrepreneurial venture that addresses an opportunity specific to the identified customer.</p> <p>To develop the venture pitch, students utilize the five rhetorical canons of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Rather than expecting students to complete the entire pitch in one class meeting, we propose allowing three class meetings dedicated to the assignment. For this particular assignment we provide a lecture prior to Day 1 of the assignment to introduce students to the concepts of rhetorical canons, BMC, and EM. As it will most likely be students' first introduction to these three concepts, we feel this lecture provides students with foundational knowledge of the concepts thus allowing for greater understanding of the concepts' application in the subsequent assignment activities. In this lecture, the employment of both primary texts from Quintilian and Cicero, and secondary sources such as textbooks from [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref44">17</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref45">18</reflink>]) and [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref46">27</reflink>], expose students to the language and organization of a classical text while still providing access to contemporary sources to provide clarification for any potential confusion. From these sources, students gain definitions for each of the five canons and are provided examples of their applications, as well as a general understanding of who the audience is for their pitch and approaches appropriate to employ during the element of invention. Finally, we provide students with [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref47">30</reflink>] BMC, walk them through, define, and provide examples of the elements we will be using for this assignment.</p> <p>The first class activity requires students to apply canonical elements of invention, arrangement, and style to research and structure their entrepreneurial venture pitch. After completing the canonical elements, using definition of EM and EM antecedents, students identify which elements they used and developed during this particular activity. The second activity applies canonical elements of memory, and delivery. Once complete, students again identify EM antecedents used or developed in this activity. Finally, the third class meeting culminates with in-class pitches for a panel of guest judges and classmates (Table 1).</p> <p>Table 1. Rhetorical Canons and EM Elements with Corresponding Antecedents and Activities.</p> <p>Graph</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><colgroup><col align="left" /><col align="char" char="." /><col align="char" char="." /><col align="char" char="." /></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="left">Rhetorical Canons</th><th align="center">EM Elements & Corresponding Antecedents</th><th align="center">Activity 1</th><th align="center">Activity 2</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>InventionArrangementStyleMemoryDelivery</td><td>Cognition<italic>Metacognition</italic><italic>Self-Efficacy</italic>Behavior<italic>Experience</italic><italic>Self-Exploration</italic>Emotion<italic>Disposition</italic></td><td>Canonical applications<italic>Invention</italic><italic>Arrangement</italic><italic>Style</italic>EM developmental focus<italic>Cognitive</italic><italic>Behavioral</italic></td><td>Canonical applications<italic>Style</italic><italic>Memory</italic>EM developmental focus<italic>Emotional</italic></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <hd id="AN0193858329-6">Activity 1: Invention, Arrangement, and Style</hd> <p>To utilize rhetorical canons as a process to aid in the systematic development of an EM, students begin Activity 1 by exploring the creation of an EVP through the employment of canonical elements including invention, arrangement, and style. Rather than structuring an assignment in which students complete one canonical activity and then move on to the next, students utilize the canons of invention and arrangement simultaneously to drive construction of the entrepreneurial venture pitch. Why is this important? The entrepreneurial venture pitch represents a form of persuasive discourse students most likely have not encountered in previous course work, thus leaving them unaware of the organizational and content elements required for its functional construction. For the in-class activities required of this assignment, we provide each student with an assignment worksheet designed to focus students' attention toward aspects specific to canonical and EM elements utilized in each activity. By the end of this activity, students should be able to define and recognize canonical elements of invention and arrangement; identify cognitive, behavioral, and emotional antecedents of EM development; gain familiarity with academic research skills; complete outline of EVP; and identify elements of a plain style.</p> <p>We first introduce students to the organizational structure, or arrangement, of an EVP. As students generally have yet to encounter EVPs in previous coursework, it is necessary to provide a detailed description of the elements required. In introducing the canonical element of arrangement prior to invention, we also highlight to students the flexibility of use the classical canons bring to discourse creation. To create an EVP, students utilize the following format: introduction, problem, solution, ask, and conclusion. The introduction requires students to provide an attention-getting device or hook, introduce themselves and their venture, and finally preview the elements to be covered in the pitch. Next, the "problem" step requires students to detail the specific problem their intended customer currently encounters that necessitates action. The "solution" step allows students to detail ways in which their venture's unique value proposition addresses the stated problem encountered by their specific customer. In this step, students also describe the ways in which their venture differentiates from any competitors currently operating within the competitive landscape. Moving forward to the "ask" section, students detail what it is that they need from their audience. Generally, the "ask" should be for a form of capital. Since these ventures exist solely in the idea stage, students could potentially ask for social, physical, or financial capitals. Students then detail how these elements of capital will help launch their venture. Finally, the students complete a conclusion in which they provide a review of elements covered in the pitch and return to their attention-getting device or hook.</p> <p>After establishing expectations for the organizational arrangement of the EVP, students begin gathering information required to complete a full-sentence outline of an EVP. First students are introduced to the [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref48">30</reflink>]<emph>Business Model Canvas</emph> (BMC). [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref49">30</reflink>] BMC framework contains nine specific components, including: customer segments, customer relationships, channels, value propositions, key activities, key partners, key resources, cost structures, and revenue streams. BMC reflects three overarching areas of focus. First, customer segments, customer relationships, channels, and value propositions represent the matching of the venture's offering with the group of customers who find unique value in it, how the venture will engage with the customer, and how the customer can become aware of, evaluate, and purchase the venture's product or service. Together, these components of the canvas determine the revenue model of the venture. Second, the key activities, key partners, and key resources represent the means necessary to create and deliver the unique value proposition to the customer; these components together determine the cost structure of the venture. Third, the difference between the cost and revenue components determines if the venture will be profitable or fail to produce earnings.</p> <p>Using the template provided on Osterwalder, Pigneur, and colleagues' online BMC resource hub, [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref50">36</reflink>], we briefly define and discuss the nine elements with students. Once students are familiar with the concept of BMC, we zoom focus into the four elements representative of customer focus and a unique value proposition. As students are creating an entrepreneurial venture pitch for an idea stage venture through these classroom activities, we utilize the first four BMC components, including customer segments, value propositions, channels, and customer relationships, to provide boundaries to guide students through collecting necessary research conducted during the canonical element of invention.</p> <p>The selected elements of [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref51">30</reflink>] BMC allow students to begin applying the canonical element of invention through the acquisition of evidence to support their identification of a problem and solution specific to their identified customer. [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref52">18</reflink>] describes invention requiring the identification of available means to persuade an audience, including "direct evidence, such as witnesses and contracts, which the speaker 'uses' but does not 'invent';... 'artistic' means of persuasion, which include presentation of the speaker's character (ethos) as trustworthy, logical argument (logos) that may convince the audience, and the pathos or emotion that the speaker can awaken in the audience" ([<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref53">18</reflink>], pp. 4–5). To collect information needed for the invention element, students gather both direct evidence and artistic means, or secondary research, to research specific to the four areas of focus of the BMC, including customer segments, value propositions, channels, and customer relationships. In this case, direct evidence constitutes interviewing potential customers, and artistic means requires utilizing business databases provided through library database offerings.</p> <p>To adequately determine the customer segment best suited for their unique value proposition, students must ask the question "Who is my ideal customer?" In order to answer this question, students must conduct research to determine demographics such as age, location, occupation, and socioeconomic status of their proposed customer. Value propositions represent the unique elements that set your offering apart from those of other providers and are the reasons why customers switch from what they currently use to your unique offering. Students begin identifying their venture's unique value proposition by asking the question "What sets my unique offering apart from others in the similar category, and what makes it worth buying?" The identification of channels leads students to grapple with the question "How will we help our customers to become aware of our product or service, to evaluate it, and to purchase it?" And, finally, identifying customer relationships leads students to determine the types of relationships customers expect to engage in to continue to purchase the unique offering. For example, some customer relationships are as simple as a one-off transaction or as complex as a concierge "membership" approach in which the relationship is more intimate and sustained.</p> <p>Once students complete gathering information during the invention step, focus shifts back to arrangement of the EVP full-sentence outline. After students compile all information gathered from applicable segments of [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref54">30</reflink>] BMC, they then transfer to the EVP outline contained in the activity worksheet. In this outline, students utilize full-sentence formatting for each element represented in the outline. Once complete, students possess a full accounting of desired content for their EVP.</p> <p>In explaining the canonical element of style "there are only three styles; few men have mastered all of them. Those who spoke in the grand style were forceful, skilled in the nuances of diction, and able to evoke emotional responses. Orators who used the plain style were gifted with the qualities of clear exposition devoid of embellishment" ([<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref55">7</reflink>], de Oratore). For this assignment, students will aim to create a venture pitch that aligns with that of the plain style. A plain style allows for audiences to easily understand the intended customer, the problem faced by customers that the venture addresses, a unique value proposition, and a specified "ask" of the audience that is usually a request for resources through the use of clear language, appropriate grammar usage, and simple-to-understand examples, figures of speech, or metaphors. To help students apply the canonical element of style, students complete the style section of the assignment worksheet by answering a series of questions pertaining to "how" they plan to accomplish a plain style in their EVP. Students complete the worksheet section on style with specific focus toward ensuring the implementation of a plain style through the use of the four virtues of style, including correctness, clarity, ornamentation, and propriety. As students are more than likely unfamiliar with all four elements, each element provides questions to help the students determine whether or not elements pertaining to the four virtues were utilized and helped to accomplish a plain style.</p> <p>At the end of the assignment, students refer to a final section of the assignment worksheet: EM Development. In this section, students identify cognitive, emotional, and behavioral antecedents of EM utilized during the activities specific to the canonical elements of invention, arrangement, and style. This is the point in the assignment where students begin identifying the ways in which they are developing an entrepreneurial mindset. The worksheet provides specific instances of the antecedents, including metacognitions, self-efficacy, life and learning experiences, opportunities and experiences, and dispositional factors. During the cognitive or "thinking" step of EM development, we see great attention paid to tasks that contribute to decision making, problem solving, argument and language development, etc. Working in conjunction with cognitive elements of EM, behavioral elements play a vital role during the canonical element of style. EM antecedent elements such as previous opportunities and self-exploration shape an individual's stylistic choices by influencing the specific emotion a student wants to elicit from their audience.</p> <p>[<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref56">19</reflink>] note, "entrepreneurial cognition is about understanding how entrepreneurs... piece together previously unconnected information that helps them to identify and invent new products or services, and to assemble the necessary resources to start and grow businesses" (p. 1683). During the invention element, students have identified not only a problem their venture addresses, but also customer segments, unique value propositions, channels, and customer relationships. To identify these aspects, students had to first utilize the EM antecedent of metacognition. They first had to determine, through the use of research and proofs identified during the canonical step of invention, what was actually important to think about in regard to their venture.</p> <p>For this assignment, students were provided an organizational structure to follow when constructing their entrepreneurial venture pitch. Much in the same way students utilized an EM to determine what was important to think about during the invention element, they must now determine how best to organize the information gained into an effective pitch. Cognition is present within the style element, but in a form different from invention and arrangement. Through the element of Style, students employ the cognitive EM antecedent of self-efficacy that allows students the confidence needed to pitch in order to acquire needed resources for a new venture ([<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref57">6</reflink>]). To portray this confidence, in the context of the entrepreneurial pitch, students must utilize stylistic elements such as word choice to convey knowledge of the customer segments, value propositions, channels, and customer relationships. Completing this canonical element allows students to develop a lexicon of stylistic choices needed to highlight arguments in favor of supporting their venture.</p> <hd id="AN0193858329-7">Activities 2 and 3: Memory and Delivery</hd> <p>The canonical elements of memory and delivery work in tandem to accomplish their goals. Utilizing the canonical element of memory, business and professional communication students must begin committing to memory the content and organization of the venture pitch they created. Memory represents the physical practice required to achieve memorization of a particular discourse. Though we do not propose rote memorization for this assignment, we instead prefer to utilize memory as a tool to familiarize student speakers with the content created in the previous steps, as well as enable confidence to help improve delivery.</p> <p>Much in the same way canonical elements of invention, arrangement, and style worked together simultaneously in Activity 1, students again participate in an activity utilizing the canonical elements of memory and delivery by pitching their venture to a peer and providing feedback. First, students select an in-class partner to listen to their pitch. After each student pitches their individual EVP, students complete a memory and delivery peer feedback rubric contained in the assignment packet to help identify their peer's current status of memory and delivery. The memory portion of the feedback form contains a rubric ranging from 0 to 5. Each element between 0 and 5 represents each partner's current level of memory associated with delivering the EVP. For each score on the rubric, suggested improvements are listed to help students guide their peers improve to improvement from the feedback given. We feel that the addition of a suggested improvement section for each element of the memory rubric is an important addition to help aid students in the peer feedback process as this could quite possibly be some students' first time providing peer feedback for an oral assignment. Once students receive feedback from their classmate, they can utilize strategies provided on the worksheet to improve and practice memory. These strategies include understanding pitch organization, working section by section to understand required content, and working from a manuscript to gradually comprehend all elements present in one's pitch. As students often lack opportunities in which they are required to build skills required of delivering discourse by memory, we sought to create an environment through this exercise that allowed students to practice delivering their pitch without penalties if they had a moment in which their memory caused a mistake in delivery.</p> <p>After students complete the memory portion of the peer feedback rubric, they shift focus to provide feedback specific to the areas of verbal and nonverbal delivery. Utilizing a rubric containing elements of verbal and nonverbal delivery, students identify if the student utilized a particular element by selecting yes or no. Each element is again provided with suggested improvements to help students provide feedback to their peers. "Start, stop, keep" guides students through providing feedback regarding verbal and nonverbal communication. After listening to a peer's pitch, and completing the feedback on elements of verbal and nonverbal delivery, students provide three specific areas of feedback in which they detail what their peers should "start" doing, what they should "stop" doing, and what they should "keep doing" during their EVP. For example, verbal aspects including verbal fillers, volume, monotone delivery, rate of delivery, as well as nonverbal aspects including eye contact, posture, pacing, and swaying are but a sampling of elements instructors can introduce to students prior to listening to their peers in order to increase understanding of what constitutes elements of verbal and nonverbal delivery.</p> <p>Finally, after completing all five canonical elements, the students should pitch their venture pitch to the class. This is an opportunity for students to be creative and showcase the organizational, oral, and professional communication skills learned during this project. Much in the way Cicero and Quintilian guided students through the use of the rhetorical canons to present orations to the public, business and professional communication instructors and practitioners are a logical "first audience" for our students to pitch to the public in this assignment.</p> <p>For the in-class pitch, we create an in-class pitch day, mimicking those hosted by business schools and entrepreneurship centers for students in the idea stage of new venture creation. Though it would better emulate environments utilized by Cicero and Quintilian to have students compete in an actual pitch contest, logistical concerns such as timing of a university pitch contest aligning with the time in which a business communication course is taught or even the existence of an established pitch contest at one's specific university pose hurdles for anyone planning to use this assignment in their course. By creating an in-class pitch day, we alleviate some of these uncertainties. To create a comparable environment, we invite business professionals from the local community to serve as guest judges who will ask the students questions about their ventures once they have pitched. By inviting local community leaders, business and professional communication students grow their professional networks, gain exposure to multiple professional fields, and become familiar with those in the local community that possess additional skills necessary to help the students grow as professionals. We also host this event in a large conference or classroom with room to invite students and faculty to attend.</p> <p>The delivery of the entrepreneurial venture pitch to classmates and professionals offers opportunities for students to develop behavioral and emotional elements of EM. The entrepreneurial pitch comprises more than simply delivering the message: pitchers must also engage the audience through the ensuing questions-and-answers (Q&A) stage where they demonstrate how good they are at comprehending, summarizing, and responding. They learn not to be defensive and to regard the Q&A session as an opportunity to engage with the audience in a more familiar and less formal manner. As the Q&A session unfolds, pitchers might engage in small talk to encourage more feedback from their audiences or to ask for more pointed feedback on a particular area of their pitch. The delivery of the pitch and engagement in the Q&A sessions are opportunities to show off the pitcher's expertise in the subject area and emotional intelligence for interacting with an audience.</p> <p>Through practice with the canonical steps of memory and delivery, students develop the emotional aspects of an EM. Emotional aspects such as surprise, anticipation, and stress represent elements that an individual must process internally ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref58">19</reflink>]). These emotional aspects contribute to one's ability to confidently pitch a venture idea. Utilizing the canonical elements of memory and delivery, business and professional communication students begin managing potential negative emotions encountered by elements such as stress, brought on by such elements of risk including financial, career, and social, elements that are often present in the minds of students and entrepreneurs alike, through the presence of the EM antecedent of previous experience. Through the EVP, entrepreneurs also encounter the opportunity to externally express the emotion they feel for their particular venture. This manifests particularly through both verbal and nonverbal communication an individual utilizes during the delivery of the venture pitch.</p> <hd id="AN0193858329-8">Conclusion</hd> <p>Students need tools that help them recognize problems and opportunities in specific environments and allow them to respond and communicate effectively during times of uncertainty and change. Business and professional communication courses enable students to begin developing and applying the skills needed to recognize those problems and opportunities. We assert that through the development of EMs, students will discover their abilities to recognize, and act upon, opportunities that present in situations of uncertain and complex environments with limited amounts of information. The knowledge and application of the rhetorical canons of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery within the context of the entrepreneurial venture pitch provide students a framework and set of tools for developing an EM.</p> <p>Business communication, grounded in the tenets of classical rhetoric, can be used to articulate and solve problems, motivate people to provide resources they control, and coordinate the work needed to solve those problems and achieve key goals. This disciplined form of business communication effectively moves "the work of an organization and its employees forward" ([<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref59">21</reflink>], p. 2). By introducing business and professional students to the application of classical rhetorical canons, and highlighting elements needed to begin developing an EM, business and professional communication students stand to tackle the challenges encountered by dynamic professional environments.</p> <hd id="AN0193858329-9">Appendix A</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0193858329-10">Assignment Worksheet</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0193858329-11">Activity 1</hd> <hd1 id="AN0193858329-12">Arrangement:</hd1> <p>EVP Outline</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> I. Introduction</item> <p></p> <item> A. Attention Getting Device/Hook</item> <p></p> <item> B. Introduction of Venture & Self</item> <p></p> <item> C. Preview Statement</item> <p></p> <item> II. Body</item> <p></p> </ulist> <p>• Problem</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> A. Solution</item> <p></p> </ulist> <p>• B. Ask</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> III. Conclusion</item> <p></p> <item> Review Statement</item> <p></p> <item> A. Return to Attention Getting Device/Hook</item> </ulist> <hd1 id="AN0193858329-13">Invention:</hd1> <p>BMC Customer Elements</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Customer Segments</item> <p></p> <item> Value Propositions</item> <p></p> <item> Channels</item> <p></p> <item> Customer Relationships</item> </ulist> <p>Works Cited (APA)</p> <hd1 id="AN0193858329-14">Style:</hd1> <p>The Four Virtues—Used to Achieve a Plain Style</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Correctness:</item> <p></p> <item> Did you check to ensure proper grammar usage throughout the EVP Outline?</item> <p></p> <item> 2. Clarity:</item> <p></p> <item> Are your word choice and sentence structures clear and easy for your audience to understand? Did you avoid the use of jargon or language that would not be familiar to a general audience?</item> <p></p> <item> 3. Ornamentation:</item> <p></p> <item> Did you minimize the use of metaphors, figures of speech, and tropes?</item> <p></p> <item> 4. Propriety:</item> <p></p> <item> Are the stylistic elements utilized appropriate for the setting in which you will deliver your speech?</item> </ulist> <p>——————————————————————————————————–</p> <p>EM Elements</p> <p>Using the definition provided in the lecture in which you were introduced to EM, please detail the ways in which you recognized, applied, or developed EM Elements during today's activity.</p> <p>Cognitive:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Metacognition</item> <p></p> <item> Self-Efficacy</item> </ulist> <p>Behavioral:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Experience</item> <p></p> <item> Self-Exploration</item> </ulist> <p>Emotional:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Disposition</item> </ulist> <hd id="AN0193858329-15">Activity 2</hd> <hd1 id="AN0193858329-16">Memory:</hd1> <p></p> <p>Graph</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><colgroup><col align="left" /><col align="char" char="." /><col align="char" char="." /><col align="char" char="." /><col align="char" char="." /><col align="char" char="." /></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="left">No concept of EVP arrangement; cannot deliver any element from memory; reads entirety of EVP from full sentence outline</th><th align="center">Shows basic understanding of order of major content areas present in EVP; reads entirety of EVP from full sentence outline</th><th align="center">Understands order of major content areas present in EVP; Relies heavily upon full sentence outline during most, but not all, major EVP content areas</th><th align="center">Understands order of major content areas of EVP; relies on full sentence outline for some minor organizational elements of EVP, but is able to provide the remainder of the organizational elements from memory</th><th align="center">Delivers majority of EVP from memory; rarely refers to notes</th><th align="center">Delivers EVP in its entirety directly from memory; does not refer to notes</th></tr><tr><th align="left">0</th><th align="center">1</th><th align="center">2</th><th align="center">3</th><th align="center">4</th><th align="center">5</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p>Suggested improvement: Utilize EVP outline to identify and understand organizational elements of EVP; discuss content contained in major content areas</p></td><td><p>Suggested improvement:<break /> utilize EVP outline to identify and understand organizational elements of EVP; utilize EVP outline when rehearsing</p></td><td><p>Suggested improvement: Utilize EVP outline when rehearsing</p></td><td><p>Suggested improvement: Utilize EVP outline when rehearsing</p></td><td><p>Suggested improvement: Utilize EVP outline when rehearsing</p></td><td><p>Suggested improvement: Shift focus to elements of delivery</p></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>What strategies can you use to improve?</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Understand pitch organization</item> <p></p> <item> Work section by section to understand required content</item> <p></p> <item> Work from a manuscript to gradually comprehend all elements present in one's pitch</item> <p></p> <item> Practice on your own</item> <p></p> <item> Record your practice and identify areas that memory is less solidified</item> <p></p> <item> Deliver pitch to friends and family</item> </ulist> <hd1 id="AN0193858329-17">Delivery:</hd1> <p></p> <p>Graph</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><colgroup><col align="left" /><col align="char" char="." /><col align="char" char="." /><col align="char" char="." /></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="left">Delivery Focus</th><th align="center">Yes</th><th align="center">No</th><th align="center">Suggested Improvement</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p>Volume</p></td><td /><td /><td><p><italic>Work to project voice. Keep in mind size of venue, amount of people present in audience.</italic></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Rate of delivery speed</p></td><td /><td /><td><p><italic>Deliver pitch at a rate of speed that is easy for your audience to understand. The rate should be neither too fast nor too slow.</italic></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Verbal fillers</p></td><td /><td /><td><p><italic>Work to eliminate verbal fillers "um, like, you know." Utilize pauses or breaks to avoid reverting to the use of verbal fillers.</italic></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Hand gestures</p></td><td /><td /><td><p><italic>Incorporate hand gestures to emphasize main points, transitions, items in numerical order. Work to ensure hand gestures are neither too large nor too small.</italic></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Eye contact</p></td><td /><td /><td><p><italic>Work to establish eye contact with those in your audience. Vary your eye contact across various individuals in the audience.</italic></p></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>What should your peer start doing during their pitch?</p> <p>What should your peer stop doing during their pitch?</p> <p>What should your peer keep doing during their pitch?</p> <hd1 id="AN0193858329-18">EM Elements</hd1> <p>Using the definition provided in the lecture in which you were introduced to EM, please detail the ways in which you recognized, applied, or developed EM Elements during today's activity.</p> <p>Cognitive:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Metacognition</item> <p></p> <item> Self-Efficacy</item> </ulist> <p>Behavioral:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Experience</item> <p></p> <item> Self-Exploration</item> </ulist> <p>Emotional:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Disposition</item> </ulist> <ref id="AN0193858329-19"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref28" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Anderson A. R. (2005). 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G.(Ed.), Handbook of organizations (pp. 142–193). Rand-McNally.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Strategyzer. (2023). The Business Model Canvas. Retrieved October 19, 2023, from https://<ulink href="http://www.strategyzer.com/library/the-business-model-canvas">www.strategyzer.com/library/the-business-model-canvas</ulink></bibtext> </blist> </ref> <ref id="AN0193858329-20"> <title> Footnotes </title> <blist> <bibtext> The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Josie A. Burks</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext>Graph https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3941-0109</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <aug> <p>By Josie A. Burks and Craig E. Armstrong</p> <p>Reported by Author; Author</p> <p></p> <p>Josie A. Burks is an Instructional Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Mississippi. She studies entrepreneurial pitching, persuasion, influence, and business communication. She received her Ph.D. in Communication and Information Sciences from the University of Alabama.</p> <p>Craig E. Armstrong is an associate professor of entrepreneurship in the College of Business at the University of Alabama. He studies aspects of communication and legitimacy in entrepreneurship. He received his Ph.D. in management from the University of Texas at San Antonio.</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib21" firstref="ref1"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib32" firstref="ref2"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl3" bibid="bib11" firstref="ref3"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl4" bibid="bib20" firstref="ref4"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl5" bibid="bib25" firstref="ref5"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl6" bibid="bib17" firstref="ref8"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl7" bibid="bib22" firstref="ref9"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl8" bibid="bib24" firstref="ref10"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl9" bibid="bib16" firstref="ref12"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl10" bibid="bib33" firstref="ref13"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl11" bibid="bib28" firstref="ref14"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl12" bibid="bib12" firstref="ref17"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl13" bibid="bib26" firstref="ref18"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl14" bibid="bib19" firstref="ref19"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl15" bibid="bib29" firstref="ref25"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl16" bibid="bib35" firstref="ref27"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl17" bibid="bib10" firstref="ref31"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl18" bibid="bib13" firstref="ref32"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl19" bibid="bib23" firstref="ref33"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl20" bibid="bib31" firstref="ref34"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl21" bibid="bib34" firstref="ref36"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl22" bibid="bib15" firstref="ref40"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl23" bibid="bib14" firstref="ref41"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl24" bibid="bib18" firstref="ref45"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl25" bibid="bib27" firstref="ref46"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl26" bibid="bib30" firstref="ref47"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl27" bibid="bib36" firstref="ref50"></nolink>
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  Data: Entrepreneurial Mindsets & Rhetorical Canons: Enhancing Business Communication Pedagogy via Cross-Disciplinary Theory, Praxis
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Josie+A%2E+Burks%22">Josie A. Burks</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3941-0109">0000-0002-3941-0109</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Craig+E%2E+Armstrong%22">Craig E. Armstrong</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Business+and+Professional+Communication+Quarterly%22"><i>Business and Professional Communication Quarterly</i></searchLink>. 2026 89(2):280-299.
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  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
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– Name: Pages
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  Data: 20
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Business+Education%22">Business Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Business+Communication%22">Business Communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rhetoric%22">Rhetoric</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+Methods%22">Teaching Methods</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interdisciplinary+Approach%22">Interdisciplinary Approach</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Theories%22">Educational Theories</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Praxis%22">Praxis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Entrepreneurship%22">Entrepreneurship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Persuasive+Discourse%22">Persuasive Discourse</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rhetorical+Invention%22">Rhetorical Invention</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1177/23294906241230675
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  Data: 2329-4922<br />2329-4906
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Business and professional communication courses hold special opportunities to contribute to students' development of entrepreneurial mindsets through the use and extension of classical rhetorical theory and praxis. We situate pedagogical activities within the context of the entrepreneurial venture pitch by using Rhetorical Canons of "invention," "arrangement," "style," "memory," and "delivery" to develop oral discourse while recognizing and developing entrepreneurial mindsets. We utilize elements of entrepreneurial mindset development presented by Kuratko et?al. and Daspit et?al. to introduce business and professional communication instructors to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects contributing to the establishment of entrepreneurial mindsets.
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      – SubjectFull: Rhetoric
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      – SubjectFull: Entrepreneurship
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      – SubjectFull: Persuasive Discourse
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      – SubjectFull: Rhetorical Invention
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      – TitleFull: Entrepreneurial Mindsets & Rhetorical Canons: Enhancing Business Communication Pedagogy via Cross-Disciplinary Theory, Praxis
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