TC Talk

One troglodyte to another, Abi takes Benton through the (semi-) scandalous history of technical communication and looks to its exciting future of inclusivity. We address how the field has answered the big questions of What are we? and Why are we here? We also answer less-significant but no-less-compelling questions like, What is the first rule of foraging? How do you pronounce the word "whaling"?...

Abi's communication expertise and Benton's science expertise collide as they discuss "Don't Look Up," a comedy/ disaster film by Netflix in which two astronomers try to get the world to care about a planet-killing comet. Abi touches on the film's relevance to communicating in a crisis, while Benton explains how the filmmakers got the science right. In addition, Benton describes what NASA is curren...

What skills do we, and students, need to deal with fake news and other low-quality information online? (And how have Benton & Abi applied these skills to their personal political disagreements?) And what is missing from the ways instructors have typically taught information literacy?  We discuss resources that can be used in the classroom, such as True or False: A CIA Analyst's Guide to S...

Abi & Benton try to come to terms with the fact that information technology has not lived up to our greatest moral hopes for it. We compare our optimistic initial experiences with the internet to our pessimistic outlooks about it today. We discuss Ridolfo & Hart-Davidson's book RhetOps: Rhetoric and Information Warfare , which reveals new ways that rhetorical knowledge can be weaponized by...

Content warning: suicide. Drawing on the book Cultish by Amanda Montell, we discuss the rhetorical strategies used by cult leaders such as Jim Jones (People's Temple) and L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology), and how we see similar strategies used today in less extreme but still potentially dangerous contexts like multi-level marketing and fitness crazes. We hope you come away from the episode with a...

What can conspiracy theories teach us about how arguments work? Plus, Benton demonstrates that the U.S. did in fact land on the moon, Abi invents a conspiracy theory, and Benton aces a quiz on Trump’s campaign rhetoric. Books discussed include Awful Archives by Jenny Rice and Demagogue for President by Jennifer Mercieca.

Short answer: Not entirely. But there is still a role for rhetoric. We talk about the book Vaccine Rhetorics by Heidi Lawrence, and how her theory of material exigence might apply to the COVID vaccine situation. We also discuss the potential of gamifying and "pre-bunking" to counteract medical misinformation. Stay to the end for bonus Schwarzenegger and Picard impressions by Benton.

We pick up our last vax comm chat by addressing historical reasons for vaccine skepticism, the split between personal experience and scientific data as evidence, and Andrew Wakefield's infamous journal article. We discuss highlights of the book The Panic Virus by Seth Mnookin. 

In general, what works and doesn't work when it comes to vaccine communication? How does the COVID vaccine controversy compare to past vaccine controversies?

Through a tour of Andy Weir's books (The Martian, Artemis, Project Hail Mary), Abi & Benton discuss how science fiction can enhance our understanding of tech comm.

Abi & Benton discuss their favorite strategies for getting more reading done, whether for work or for fun. Don't miss Benton's epic Gandalf impression at 8 minutes.