Here is the story of the process by which competitive speech and debate evolved in the United States during the 20th Century. This authoritative history shows how forensics, as practiced in the United States, was an uneasy fusion of contradictory premises that began as a significant part of the tradition of American public address: The need for preparing students to participate in democratic governance in conflict with a student's need to express personal and competitive impulses. Forensics represented a push and pull between an activity simultaneously considered to be both a public and a...

Risk and Crisis Communication addresses how the interaction between organizations and their stakeholders manifests during a risk or crisis situation. Littlefield and Sellnow contend that when best practices are considered, there are certain tensions to which an organization responds. These tensions are similar to those experienced among individuals when managing their relationships. As such, Littlefield and Sellnow apply an interpersonal theory, known as relational dialectics (RDT), to risk and crisis communication and examine the outcome from the vantage point of the officials and the...

This book applies relational dialects to risk and crisis communication to show how organizations handle stress and tensions with stakeholders and the public. Its novel use of interpersonal theory, which describes how couples face tensions as they maintain their relationship, is exemplified through seven case studies that focus on a common tension.