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.

Teaching deliberative decision-making is a method of encouraging students to think critically, engage public problems, and engage in both public speaking and public listening. College instructors have begun to use deliberation as a pedagogical tool, yet further research is needed to understand the learning outcomes of deliberative pedagogy. We argue that the deliberative principle of "understanding tradeoffs and tensions" is a key learning outcome of deliberative pedagogy, and demonstrate an avenue for evaluating it through a learning outcomes rubric, and through critical-interpretative methods of rhetorical criticism. In our analysis, we demonstrate that students with prior training in deliberation achieve higher levels of understanding tradeoffs and tensions through their rhetorical behaviors of embodying a deliberative perspective, expressing inclusivity, and working through public problems.

This article assists argumentation and debate instructors in developing courses that provide coverage of foundational concepts while reflecting their own interests. Courses in argumentation and debate also offer instructors an opportunity to teach through applied engagement with contemporary events. We encourage instructors to reflect on the various contexts of argumentation and debate as well as challenging questions concerning the role of technology in the classroom, the conflict between normative and descriptive examples of argumentation, how much to emphasize the role of argumentation and debate in societal change, and the connections between argumentation and deliberation.

A central goal of nonmajors chemistry courses is to instill within students the sense that chemistry does not occur in a vacuum but rather permeates everyday life. To encourage students to consider chemistry within the broader context of society and public policy, a week-long module in a survey course for nonmajors was designed to connect scientific principles and energy policy. This module featured a deliberative discussion to facilitate students' evaluation and consideration of multiple viewpoints, rigorously examining different perspectives, trade-offs, benefits, and values represented in multiple alternatives. Our results demonstrate that this approach was highly impactful, resulting in several significant positive outcomes, including a deeper awareness of the connection between chemistry and other disciplines, an increased level of understanding and confidence in their knowledge, and a greater sense of urgency regarding energy policy.

completed her Ph.D. in Communication at Michigan State University in 2012. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies & Theatre at South Dakota State University, where she conducts community-based health communication research and directs the minor in Health Communication. Rebecca Kuehl completed her Ph.D. in Communication Studies at the University of Minnesota in 2011. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies & Theatre at South Dakota State University, where she conducts research on rhetorical citizenship and public deliberation and serves as the Graduate Program Coordinator for the M.S. in communication studies. Sara Drury completed her Ph.D. in Communication at Pennsylvania State University in 2010. She is currently an assistant professor in the Rhetoric Department at Wabash College, and she also directs the Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse initiative. Her research examines the rhetorical qualities and character of U.S. public discourse, and specifically looks at rhetoric and deliberation.