• The Explore, Practice, Apply features are running themes that are mirrored in the text parts. The Explore, Practice, Apply learning philosophy behind the text finds its origins in the pioneering philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead. Foundations of Business Communication: Explore, Practice, Apply text applies Whitehead's rhythm of learning in a process that guides the reader through the stages of romance, precision, and generalization:
  
  
  • EXPLORE : Romance ties fun and exploration to learning. Through freedom to discover, create, connect, and innovate, the learner finds relevance in the subject and becomes motivated.
  • PRACTICE : Precision develops expertise through practice. Students internalize skills through repetition and feedback, leading to confidence, a sense of quality, and effective decisions.
  • APPLY : Generalization applies skills and principles to problem-solving. Critical and creative decision-making skills honed through practice are applied to solving real-world problems.

Foundations of Business Communication: Explore, Practice, Apply emphasizes an approach the links creativity to skill development, leading to effective problem-solving skills. Romance, precision, and generalization bring learners to advanced levels of expertise by igniting their motivation, and possibly their passion, toward business communication.

• Coaching Tips, Communication Challenges, Vocabulary Builders, Internet Exercises, and Learning and Working in Teams are margin learning resources in each chapter. The Coaching Tips give additional advice on topics covered in the chapters—from recognizing verbs in Chapter Two to keeping your resume updated in Chapter Nine. The Communication Challenges offer additional information on the practical uses on communication and ask the students to answer questions or complete "challenges" based on that information. The Vocabulary Builders expand on terms used in the text and relate them to real-world use. The Internet Exercises are provided to give the students extra chapter-specific practice by leading them to the book's Web site. The Working and Learning in Teams boxes provide information and advice on working in a team environment—something very real in the business world—and include team activities to reinforce that information.
• Business Week Cases along with critical thinking assignments bracket each part to provide real world reinforcement.
• Chapter pre-tests and post-tests tailor learning by assessing student proficiency in the skill sets involved in business writing and then diagnosing a learning strategy.
• Handbook chapters cover writing mechanics, recognizing the challenges many students have with basic content. The four handbook chapters appear at the end of the text; however, shorter versions, entitled “At-a-Glance,” are integrated throughout the text.
• Working in teams is an integral part of the text; one chapter is devoted specifically to teamwork, and in each chapter team learning exercises reinforce the concept. The idea of working in a team has a concrete connection to the real-world business environment. The teamwork chapter includes information on developing a team strategy and writing a proposal as a team.
• Global communication receives special attention with a chapter devoted to communicating across cultural lines. Global communication is an important part of business communication. This chapter covers different avenues of communicating globally, including the ways in which global communication has changed with ever-expanding technology.
• Learning process is highlighted through a practice exercise at the close of each chapter: students write process memos to examine their own their progress. These process memos are available in the text book, with a template available on the book's Web site. The memos serve as an example of an actual business document, bringing each chapter full-circle from exploring the content, practicing the methods, and applying what was learned.