Sara A. Mehltretter Drury

Policies Aren’t Enough The Importance of Interpersonal Communication about Workplace Breastfeeding Support

Background: Formal policies can establish guidelines and expectations for workplace breastfeeding support. However, interpersonal communication between employees and managers is the context where such policies are explained, negotiated, and implemented. As such, this article focuses on interpersonal communication about breastfeeding support in the workplace. Objective: The objective of this article is to describe interpersonal communication related to workplace breastfeeding support. Methods: We conducted 3 focus groups with 23 business representatives from a rural city in the Midwest United States. Participants were recruited through the area chamber of commerce. We analyzed the transcripts of the focus groups and derived themes related to the study objective. Results: Our analysis of responses from business representatives in the focus groups revealed 3 major themes about interpersonal communication concerning breastfeeding support in the workplace: (1) interpersonal communication may be more important than written communication for enacting breastfeeding support, (2) multiple factors (age, sex, and power dynamics) complicate the interpersonal communication required to enact breastfeeding support in local businesses, and (3) positive interpersonal communication strategies may improve the success of workplace breastfeeding support. Conclusion: Interpersonal communication between employees and managers is where the specifics of workplace breastfeeding support (eg, policies) are determined and applied. Interpersonal communication about breastfeeding can be challenging due to issues such as age, sex, and power dynamics. However, positive and open interpersonal communication can enhance workplace breastfeeding support.

Blending Qualitative, Quantitative, and Rhetorical Methods to Engage Citizens in Public Deliberation to Improve Workplace Breastfeeding Support

To improve breastfeeding support in local businesses in Brookings, SD, researchers from South Dakota State University partnered with Brookings Health System, the Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce, local breastfeeding advocates, and an expert public deliberation moderator to conduct community-based participatory research leading to a public deliberation event. The collaborative team took a mixed-methods approach, using qualitative, quantitative, and rhetorical methods to collect and analyze data across two phases of the project: formative research (Phase I) and implementation (Phase II). During Phase I, the team conducted focus groups and marketed the project. Results from Phase I shaped the conversations at the public deliberation event in Phase II. At the event, community members deliberated about the issue of breastfeeding support in Brookings businesses, and they identified action steps. Following that event, the community members delegated actions and the collaborative team disseminated results from the project. This case study emphasizes the collaborative nature of community-based participatory research and the importance of clear communication throughout the process. In each stage of the project, every team member was meaningfully involved with the research process and had ownership of the products we produced. This level of collaboration was made possible through clear communication between team members that came from very different backgrounds, e.g., education, health, or business. Team members respectfully listened to each other’s diverse perspectives and provided unique expertise; the team then modelled those same communication skills with the community as it sought community input and led a public deliberation event.

Brookings supports breastfeeding: using public deliberation as a community-engaged approach to dissemination of research

Empirical evidence demonstrates myriad benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child, along with benefits to businesses that support breastfeeding. Federal and state legislation requires workplace support for pumping and provides protections for public breastfeeding. Yet, many are unaware of these laws, and thus, support systems remain underdeveloped. We used a community-based approach to spread awareness about the evidence-based benefits of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support. We worked to improve breastfeeding support at the local hospital, among local employers, and throughout the broader community. Our coalition representing the hospital, the chamber of commerce, the university, and local lactation consultants used a public deliberation model for dissemination. We held focus groups, hosted a public conversation, spoke to local organizations, and promoted these efforts through local media. The hospital achieved Baby-Friendly status and opened a Baby Café. Breastfeeding support in the community improved through policies, designated pumping spaces, and signage that supports public breastfeeding at local businesses. Community awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support increased; the breastfeeding support coalition remains active. The public deliberation process for dissemination engaged the community with evidence-based promotion of breastfeeding support, increased agency, and produced sustainable results tailored to the community’s unique needs.

Remembering and Re-Creating the Great Debates of 1960: Presidential Libraries as Sites for Political Argumentation

The September 26, 1960 presidential debate between Vice President Richard M. Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy is widely regarded as one of the great moments in U.S. politics. As such, it is not surprising that this spectacle is prominently featured in exhibits at both presidential museums. By deftly manipulating physical space, text and artifacts, and televisual elements, the exhibits develop competing narratives about the meaning of this historic event. The close reading of the exhibits contained in this article offers new insights into political debates, the nature of collective memory, and the complicated relationship between substance and appearance in political discourse.

Civic Engagement and Public Health Issues: Community Support for Breastfeeding Through Rhetoric and Health Communication Collaborations1

As the U.S. public faces a discursive climate characterized by incivility and partisanship, scholars have the opportunity to productively influence public discourse, especially the deliberations of leaders and other community members (Carcasson, 2011). How might rhetorical studies of health improve their public position regarding civic engagement and community problem-solving? We argue that rhetorical studies of health can productively engage the public through scholars’ participation in collaborative community problem-solving and deliberation about public concerns. In working to improve the public significance of rhetorical studies of health, some important considerations include collaboration within and outside of the academy, the dual roles of the citizen-scholar, spheres of argument, and making public scholarship visible and valuable.

Encouraging Science Communication through Deliberative Pedagogy: A Study of a Gene Editing Deliberation in a Nonmajors Biology Course †

Deliberative pedagogy encourages productive science communication and learning through engagement and discussion of socio-scientific issues (SSI). This article examines a two-day deliberation module on gene editing that took place in an introductory nonmajors biology course, furthering research on integrating deliberative discussion into the biology classroom. The results demonstrate the benefits of a single, episodic deliberation in the classroom, which can positively encourage active discussion and critical awareness of connections between biology and real-world issues, thus contributing to the development of scientific citizenship. Additionally, the findings show that gene editing is an apt SSI topic for the deliberative process because it encourages productive communication practices of scientific citizenship, including discussion, perspective taking, questioning, and consideration of different types of evidence when coming to a decision.

Introduction to the Special Issue on the Rhetoric of the 2016 U.S. Election

In the introduction to the special issue, we provide arguments concerning the context surrounding the 2016 U.S. election. We explain our rationale for the special issue, as well as include an overview of the articles that compose the issue. We conclude with thanking everyone who made this special issue possible.

Defining National Security as Peace Through Strength: Ronald Reagan's Visionary Rhetoric of Renewal in the 1980 Presidential Campaign

In the 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan made the case for national security based on “peace through strength.” Looking at four major foreign, policy speeches in Ronald Reagans 1980 campaign for the presidency, this analysis argues that Reagans redefinition of national security represented a visionary rhetoric of renewal—a deep, substantive form of argument linking narrative, emotion, and policy proposals. Reagans visionary rhetoric in the 1980 campaign articulated concerns over the Carter administration, employed strategic binaries to heighten the necessity of change, and grounded calls for policy change in the renewal of values. This case study demonstrates the potential of visionary rhetoric in political campaigns.