Perspectives on Uncertainty for Technical Communication Scholars

Narrating the Monarch Butterfly: Managing Knowledge Complexity and Uncertainty in Coproduction of a Collective Narrative and Public Discourse

“…Uncertainty is relegated to the backstage practices in the scientific sphere, while conservation and policy work is based on what is known, which is presented to be enough to recognize that there is a problem in the case of the monarch that needs to be addressed and acted on (cf. Walker & Walsh, 2012;Walsh & Walker, 2016). When uncertainty becomes known, these unknowns will not substantially change the general understanding of the monarch butterfly, its migration, and the threats it is exposed to or what to do to preserve it.…”

“…By taking into account and drawing on differences between science and the public, collective narratives are coproduced that tell the common story of how to understand an environmental problem (Jasanoff, 2005b;Wynne, 2005). Drawing on the social domains of both science and the public, this coproduction of knowledge incorporates differences such as knowledge forms, risk perception, and how knowledge and values are related (Fischer & Young, 2007;Lidskog, 2008;Walsh & Walker, 2016;Wynne, 2005). By studying this coproduction of knowledge, it becomes possible to elaborate on the understanding of (1) the construction of public knowledge, (2) how uncertainty and complexity are managed when knowledge production bridges boundaries between science and the public, and (3) how public knowledge, through collective narratives, is made policy relevant with regard to complex and uncertain issues, such as environmental problems.…”

Visualizations Out of Context: Addressing Pitfalls of Real-Time Realistic Hazard Visualizations

“…Without testing the effects of realistic visualizations, it is difficult to assess to what extent that these distortions alter perception of risk. While it is very likely that these misleading effects exist, it is unclear whether realistic visualizations are in practice necessarily more or less misleading than other forms of less dramatic representation (including written and verbal communication [65]). For instance, to the extent that less evocative representations are viewed as having a higher degree of authority [41], it is entirely possible that the crystalizing effects of those representations may have an equal or greater capacity to mislead [66].…”

“…Maps and graphs are not immune from the problem of being decontextualized, misunderstood, and potentially misused [20,21]. Technical uncertainty is distinct from and transformed by personal and political uncertainty [65].…”

Rhetorical Principles on Uncertainty for Transdisciplinary Engagement and Improved Climate Risk Communication

“…To be sure, in order for a polysemous concept such as uncertainty to be effectively conveyed requires some productive constraints. Lynda Walsh and I have recently argued for an understanding of uncertainties based upon the "spheres of discourse" model where uncertainty arguments circulate, translate, and hybridize among technical, personal, and public spheres of argument (Goodnight, 1982(Goodnight, /2012Walsh and Walker, 2016). When applied to science communication, it is rhetorical practices that find and integrate uncertainties across technical, personal, and public spheres of discourse that can be most effective for climate risk communication.…”