by A Bakke
Abi is a professor of technical communication and rhetoric; Benton... is not. Abi reads scholarly articles; Benton reads science fiction. And they are both connoisseurs of mixed drinks and bad puns. Listen in as they connect the academic to the everyday, spanning topics like misinformation, science communication, digital rhetoric, and health and medical writing. Go to http://faculty.mnsu.edu/tctalk/ for transcripts and show notes.
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Publishing Since
9/20/2021
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September 11, 2025
<p>For this episode of TC Talk: A Tech Comm Podcast, Abi and Benton interview Dr. Rollag Yoon, a professor of English Education and curriculum editor for the <a href="https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/cle/index" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Journal of Climate Literacy in Education</a>. We talk about definitions of climate literacy, how to communicate about climate to young people, and why hope needs to be part of the message. Check out <a href="https://www.climatelit.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">ClimateLit.org</a>, which features tons of teaching resources.</p><p>The <a href="https://faculty.mnsu.edu/tctalk/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">TC Talk webpage</a> has transcripts and sources.</p>
October 22, 2024
<p>Benton and Abi agree to disagree about how to disagree.</p> <p><br /></p> <p>In our "polarized" political climate, what value is there in a rhetoric that doesn't aim to change minds? Is it possible to embody empathetic listening while protecting ourselves from harmful views?</p> <p><br /></p> <p>They discuss their not-especially-successful attempts to converse with undecided voters as the election nears, and how presidential debates aren't the right format for solving problems. Abi gives a quick rundown of alternatives to persuasion throughout the rhetorical tradition, culminating in the 2022 book <em>Rhetorical Listening in Action</em> by Ratcliffe & Jensen.</p> <p><br /></p> <p>Stay to the end for Abi's most embarrassing high school debate experience.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Sources and further reading</strong></p> <ul> <li>Braver Angels. (n.d.). <em>Our Mission</em>. Braver Angels. Retrieved October 21, 2024, from <a href="https://braverangels.org/our-mission/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://braverangels.org/our-mission/</a></li> <li>Burke, K. (1969). <em>A Grammar of Motives</em>. University of California Press.</li> <li>Compassionate Listening Project. (n.d.). <em>History</em>. CompassionateListening. Retrieved October 21, 2024, from <a href="https://www.compassionatelistening.org/history" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.compassionatelistening.org/history</a></li> <li>Foss, S. K., & Griffin, C. L. (1995). Beyond persuasion: A proposal for an invitational rhetoric. <em>Communications Monographs</em>, <em>62</em>(1), 2–18.</li> <li>Gearhart, S. M. (1979). The womanization of rhetoric. <em>Women’s Studies International Quarterly</em>, <em>2</em>(2), 195–201.</li> <li>Heller, C. (2015, March 9). Life Inside Jabba the Hutt: Toby Philpott Explains How Puppeteers Operated Jabba the Hutt. <em>The Atlantic</em>. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/387298/life-inside-jabba-the-hutt/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/387298/life-inside-jabba-the-hutt/</a></li> <li>Inman, M. (n.d.) "Piggers are going all the way this year." The Oatmeal. <a href="https://theoatmeal.com/pl/minor_differences2/locker_room" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://theoatmeal.com/pl/minor_differences2/locker_room</a></li> <li>Jarratt, S. C. (1991). Feminism and composition: The case for conflict. <em>Contending with Words: Composition and Rhetoric in a Postmodern Age</em>, 105–123.</li> <li><em>Organizing and protest security culture</em>. (2022, March). [Audio recording]. The Poor Proles Skillshare. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2Xb99VLft9T9ObBLFJkj3n" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://open.spotify.com/show/2Xb99VLft9T9ObBLFJkj3n</a></li> <li>Perelman, C., & Olbrechts-Tyteca, L. (1973). <em>The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation</em>. University of Notre Dame Pess.</li> <li>Quintilian. (1987). <em>Quintilian on the teaching of speaking and writing: Translations from books one, two, and ten of the Institutio Oratoria</em> (J. J. Murphy, Trans.). SIU Press.</li> <li>Ratcliffe, K., & Jensen, K. (2022). <em>Rhetorical Listening in Action: A Concept-Tactic Approach</em>. Parlor Press LLC.</li> <li><em>Talking radical politics with Dr. Ayesha Khan</em>. (2022, March). [Podcast episode]. The Poor Proles Skillshare. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2Xb99VLft9T9ObBLFJkj3n" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://open.spotify.com/show/2Xb99VLft9T9ObBLFJkj3n</a></li> <li><em>Talking Sense: Navigating relationships across political divides</em>. (2024, September 5). MPR News. <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2024/09/04/talking-sense-navigating-relationships-across-political-divides" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2024/09/04/talking-sense-navigating-relationships-across-political-divides</a></li> <li>Weil, Z., & Goodall, J. (2024). <em>The Solutionary Way: Transform Your Life, Your Community, and the World for the Better</em>. New Society Publishers.</li> <li>WeRateDogs (Director). (2024, September 30). <em>Tim Walz and His Rescue Dog Scout | WeWalkDogs</em> [Video recording]. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spiwlde4kys" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spiwlde4kys</a></li> </ul> <p>Music credits: </p> <ul> <li>Opening theme: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">S: </a><a href="https://freesound.org/people/SergeQuadrado/sounds/511408/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Disco Funk Loop</a> by <a href="https://freesound.org/people/SergeQuadrado/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">SergeQuadrado</a> | License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Attribution NonCommercial 3.0</a></li> <li>Julius Fučík (1897) "Entrance of the Gladiators" op. 68</li> </ul> <p>Visit <a href="https://faculty.mnsu.edu/tctalk/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://faculty.mnsu.edu/tctalk/</a> for transcript.</p>
July 26, 2024
<p>Recycling or trash? It's a question you may have asked yourself when faced with a gross can, a heavily-stickered art project, or some weird plastic thing. Benton hijacks the podcast to teach Abi the behind-the-scenes of the recycling process: How it works, how effective it is, the consequences of "wish-cycling," and why plastic sucks so much. He addresses what steps you can take to make recycling work better, besides just putting things in the right bin.</p> <p><strong>Sources and further reading</strong></p> <p>TC Talk episodes mentioned:</p> <ul> <li>“Cult rhetoric.” <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/techcommtalk/episodes/Cult-rhetoric-e1b1gpi/a-a70h9n0">https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/techcommtalk/episodes/Cult-rhetoric-e1b1gpi/a-a70h9n0</a></li> <li>“Tech comm from outer space: More lessons from alien movies.” <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/techcommtalk/episodes/Tech-comm-from-outer-space-More-lessons-from-alien-movies-e1md55n/a-a8cdbc1">https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/techcommtalk/episodes/Tech-comm-from-outer-space-More-lessons-from-alien-movies-e1md55n/a-a8cdbc1</a></li> </ul> <p>Wikipedia articles mentioned:</p> <ul> <li>“Recycling” <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling</a></li> <li>“Sustainability” <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability</a></li> <li>“Microplastics” <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microplastics">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microplastics</a></li> <li>“Greenwashing.” <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwashing">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwashing</a></li> <li>“Wishcycling.” <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wishcycling">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wishcycling</a></li> </ul> <p>Music credits:</p> <ul> <li>Opening theme: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">S: </a><a href="https://freesound.org/people/SergeQuadrado/sounds/511408/">Disco Funk Loop</a> by <a href="https://freesound.org/people/SergeQuadrado/">SergeQuadrado</a> | License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/">Attribution NonCommercial 3.0</a></li> <li>Ensemble. (2008). “So they say” [Song]. On <em>Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog Soundtrack</em> [Album]. Mutant Enemy.</li> <li>Wheatus. (2000). “Teenage dirtbag” [Song]. On <em>Wheatus</em> [Album]. Columbia.</li> </ul> <p>Image credit:</p> <ul> <li>Siera Wild, “Recycling sign green.png.” CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons</li> </ul> <p>Transcript at https://faculty.mnsu.edu/tctalk/podcast/recycling-you-still-dont-get-it/</p>
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Abi is a professor of technical communication and rhetoric; Benton... is not. Abi reads scholarly articles; Benton reads science fiction. And they are both connoisseurs of mixed drinks and bad puns.
Listen in as they connect the academic to the everyday, spanning topics like misinformation, science communication, digital rhetoric, and health and medical writing.
Go to http://faculty.mnsu.edu/tctalk/ for transcripts and show notes.
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