Speak Up- Chapter 3 Speech Ethics PDF

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Chapter 3 Speech Ethics “Strive to be an ethical public speaker” Ethics-rules and values that a group defines to guide conduct and distinguish between right and wrong As you research and write your speech, you must make decisions about what information you'll include in your presentation and how that information will influence your audience. As you deliver your speech, you have to make choices about the language and tone of voice you use, and how those aspects of your presentation will affect your listeners. Some people adopt a code of behavior they commit to using consistently. The people are demonstrating ethical absolutism( the belief that people should exhibit the same behavior in all situations.) Example: tell girlfriend that how you felt about their sweater, contains principle “always tell the truth”. Others use situational ethics (correct behavior can vary depending on the situation). Example: deciding that due to not having time to do their homework, they copy the notes from their partner because it is “just this one time”. Some generalizations that apply in most situations. Most societies believe that its more ethical to tell the truth than lie. One guiding principle that can help you make ethical choices is that of respect for other people -- “treating others in ways that you would like to be treated.” Culturally relative ethics (when ethics vary across societies. Example: in certain areas burping after a meal is a complement to the chef, while in other areas its viewed as disgusting. Legal Speech, Ethical Speech Ethical speech- incorporating ethical decision making into how you engage the public speaking process and ultimately what you say (meaning you follow guidelines for telling the truth and avoid misleading and audience because such actions are ethical and the right thing to do.) Legally protected speech- refers to using the law as your boundary for what you may say and how yo say it. (would use legal guidelines in making decisions about telling the truth or withholding information based upon whether there is a legal requirement to make a certain action or a legal consequence for violating the rules. rely on legal guidelines for acceptable speech, not based on ethics but is only driven by what is technically within legal rules). Be certain you understand the distinction between ethical and legal speech when crafting your own presentations. Communicating Truthfully The most basic ethical guidelines for public speaking is : tell your audience the truth. How do you feel when someone has lied to you? Audience members who discover that a speaker has deceived them seldom believe that person and will rarely do what he or she asks them. The words truth and truthfully are fairly subjective and elude precise definition. It is easier to describe truth in public speaking by examining what is not truth. ● Lying- Public speakers who lie are intentionally seeking to deceive their audience. Some fear what their listeners would do if they knew the truth, not trusting the audience to react in a supportive or understanding way. Lying risks losing the listeners trust.

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Half Truths- When a speaker reveals only part of the truth and then mixes it with a lie, they are telling a half truth. Half truth has the same damaging impact as a lie, deceiving its audience. ● False Inference- When a speaker presents information that leads listeners to an incorrect conclusion, the speaker has caused a false inference. Speakers who commit this ethical breacher intentionally drop hints designed to make their audience believe something that isnt true. False inferences can also occur accidentally. Taking evidence out of context is another form of false inference where the speaker shares a sources data or statements without explaining how they relate to the original situation. Like selecting information to solely work with what you're explaining even if its not worded right. Omission is where presenters mislead the audience not by what they say but by what is left unsaid. Not including information intentionally. Such ations suggest that you view your listeners as consumers of information and take an unethical and cynical caveat emptor “let the buyer beware” approach. Never lie, tell half truths, and never cause false inferences. Acknowledging the Work of Others Researching a speech topic exposes you to a wealth of interesting facts, information and ideas. Listeners want speakers to demonstrate their own ideas and thinking during a presentation. How do you blend materials that properly demonstrates your own ideas and also ethically incorporates and acknowledges the original ideas of others? Must use a blend of materials that demonstrates your own ideas and also ethically incorporates and acknowledges the original ideas of others. Presenting another person's words or ideas as if they were your own is called plagiarism. If you plagiarize, you have mislead your audience by misrepresenting the source of the material you've asked. You are also stealing the ideas and words of another person. People sometimes have difficulty discerning the line between plagiarism and appropriate use of researched material . ● Quoting from a Source- Students face the danger of unintentional plagiarism when they copy a quotation from a source and paste it into a document without writing down the citation information. Most of the direct quotation you will use in a speech will be short. To avoid plagiarism, you must attribute the quote to its sources. Strongly suggest that you document a complete citation on your speech outline or text. ● Paraphrasing the Work of Others- Paraphrasing is restating the originals authors ideas in your own words. If you are using most or all of the original material, simply rearranged and restated in your own words, and presenting them as your own, you're plagiarizing. Safest bet is to always acknowledge the original source of any material you use in your speech. ● Common Knowledge- Common knowledge where you can use information from a source without giving a direct citation, widely known and disseminated in many sources. If you are in any doubt, include the citation. Using Sound Reasoning When public speakers intentionally misuse logic to deceive their audience they are acting unethically.

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Hasty Generalization- A speaker who intentionally generalizes about all ,members of a group from information based on a limited part of the group is making a hasty generalization. Post Hoc (After the Fact) Fallacy- A post hoc fallacy occurs when a speaker wrongly identifies the cause of one event as the event that immediately preceded it. Example: Event B happened after Event A, therefore event B was caused by event A. Personal Attacks- Some speakers try to compensate for weak arguments by making personal attacks (hominem attacks) on their opponents. Bandwagoning- Ad Populum fallacy, aka bandwagoning, implies that the sheer number of people behind a point makes the point more persuasive and invites the audience to rhetorically go along with the conclusion. Common in advertizing. only creates an unethical fallacy when the speaker relies on the effect as the primary means of proving the point, instead of using other objective forms of evidence of logical explanations to convince an audience.

Being an Ethical Listener Ethical Audience are the qualities that include courtesy, open mindedness and willingness to hold a speaker accountable for his or her statements. ● Show Courtesy- Treat others as you expect to be treated applies. extend to them the courtesy you would appreciate if you were speaking by focusing your attention on them, stop activities that distract you or the speaker. ● Demonstrate an Open Mind- avoid prejudging the speech or speaker/ look for parts of the message that signal common ground. consider the fact that you ,might hear something that changes your mind or broadens your perspective on the speech topic. ● Hold the Speaker Accountable- hold the presenter accountable for his or her claims. ask questions, show your response to the speech, frame your comments or suggestions constructively. avoid destructive feedback....