Spinuzzi, C. (2016). Introduction to the special issue on entrepreneurship communication. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 59(4), 316-322.

Spinuzzi, C. (2016). Introduction to the special issue on entrepreneurship communication. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 59(4), 316-322.

This an editorial, or intro to a special issue. So it functions as a literature review. 

The review focuses on...

The definition of entrepreneurship

• Schumpeter
• Drucker

Through these two, you get that sense that entrepreneurship can't just be anything; it stems out of uncertainty and risk. You have to exploit an opportunity. And it's emergent. Once things solidify, you turn into a business owner. So there's a temporality to it all. Thus the definition of entrepreneurship is very similar to that of a startup. 

Entrepreneurship communication: studies and guides

• narrative and identity
• culture and community
• pitches, business plans, and other genres
• non-academic guides to entrepreneurship

Risk, failure, uncertainty again. 

"For instance, some scholars have examined how entrepreneurship, although it is often seen as existing in (low trust) markets, is backed by non-market, high-trust social ties."

"Much work has examined the factors of passion [25]; charisma [26]; and preparedness [27], [28] in spoken pitches: How much does each factor contribute to persuading audiences to accept the pitch? To what degree do they work with or against each other?" So Spinuzzi et al push up against this and respond to this by being like, yea, but how do entrepreneurs develop their claims? Then I am going to be like, how is the genre emergent? or is it? 

"I just thought of this, so this is just an idea. Using Bakhtin, specifically the distinction between centripetal and centrifugal forces in genre production, wouldn't it be cool to do a study of pitch decks close to the center, so to speak, that is, to study pitch decks in Silicon Valley, or even Austin would be fine I'm sure--then study them in Africa or something. Or even Chili."--me

This seems very familiar to the editorial from JBTC. Similar themes, similar sources, etc.--everything. 

Entrepreneurship communication in pro comm

• survey
• case studies
• heuristics
• pitches

Must read. "C. S. Galbraith, B. C. McKinney, A. F. DeNoble, and S. B. Ehrlich, “The impact of presentation form, entrepreneurial passion, and perceived preparedness on obtaining grant funding,” J. Bus. Tech. Commun., vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 222–248, 2014. "

About the special issue

Questions:

1. What genres and heuristics do people need to learn as they become entrepreneurs? How do they learn them?

2. (2)  How do entrepreneurs communicate in specific situations? What are their challenges, and how can we help them meet those challenges?

3. (3)  What challenges do technical and professional communicators themselves face as they function as entrepreneurs?

4. (4)  What skills, genres, and heuristics should professional communicators learn as they prepare to function as entrepreneurs?

5. (5)  What should educators be teaching students in professional communication about entrepreneurship? Conversely, what should educators be teaching students in entrepreneurial contexts about professional communication?

6. (6)  How can we apply entrepreneurship principles more broadly to professional communication? What trends can we expect from the next decade, and what innovations and shifts must we consider as we prepare for the future of technical communication? 

Themes in the issue

• Narratives That Entrepreneurs Tell About Themselves

• Pitches That Entrepreneurs Deliver Persuasively

• Teaching Cases in Entrepreneurship Communication 

Interesting that Spinuzzi said that the task of the conversation was to, that is, he was interested in "the ways that professional communication can knock off some of the edges, simplify appropriately, and mitigate some of the risk in this vital and generative activity."

https://utexas.box.com/s/gkf8e3ap9gq2ghpuyviouynqgq4ti8e3