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In this paper, academic writing and business writing are compared from the viewpoint of persuasiveness as one of their most important characteristics. Several genres of academic and business writing are considered, and a conclusion is made that students should be taught not only how to write correctly and in accordance with the discussed genres but also how to write persuasively if they are planning to become successful professionals, particularly with the 21st century skills in mind. The roots of persuasiveness are traced back to ancient rhetoric. Apart from traditional arenas of persuasion – courtrooms, political campaigns and commerce, today’s university textbooks on Persuasion consider traditional theories in such contexts as health promotion, advertising, behavioral prediction, social media, individualized tailoring of political messages, and many other issues. Contemporary topics taught today within the realm of the Theory of Persuasion indicate that it is a dynamic discipline with both substantial theoretical background and numerous practical applications. One of such applications is the English language teaching, and two aspects of it – business and academic writing – are looked at in more detail in this paper. Professional functions dependent on persuasiveness are considered, and the causes of the Russian students’ lagging behind in many genres of business and academic writing are revealed.