Contextualizing the 4Rs Heuristic with Participant Stories

Purpose: This article explores the strategies technical and professional communicators use in addressing issues of social injustice in their daily lives, including academic workplaces and communities. In embracing a storytelling approach and Black Feminist epistemology, we explore the limits of traditional heuristics, illustrating the need to couple storytelling and lived experience with heuristic frameworks. Method: This study employs a qualitative, narrative inquiry methodology and semi-structured interview data collection approaches. Results: Two elements of Walton, Moore, and Jones’ (2019) 4Rs heuristic were expanded upon and further articulated through participant stories. To help people develop the ability to recognize injustice, data identified three sources for building expertise: lived experience, reading and proximity to lived experience, and accumulation within and across experiences. Revealing injustices occurred through both planned, often written, responses and in-the-moment responses. Conclusion: Stories and lived experience can augment our understanding of how heuristics work in context and provide a source of critical imagination for those attempting to use heuristics.