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II. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What advice about ethical public speaking would you give to a political candidate? Why do
you think so many people are skeptical of politicians? Can you recall listening to any
political speeches that struck you as ethically problematic? In what way?
Political candidates should probably have a clear conceptualization of what it means to speak and
Are profanity and vulgarity always unethical in public speeches? Can you think of
situations where they would seem appropriate? What types of situations, and why?
Talk about possible reactions people may have to vulgar or profane words, and whether these
reactions are important to consider in a public speaking situation. Situations in which vulgarity
What do you think the penalties should be for plagiarizing someone else’s work? Should
the penalty for plagiarizing someone else’s work in entirety be the same as that for
plagiarizing parts of it? Explain your position.
Discuss the school’s policies regarding plagiarism, which are found in the Student Code of
Conduct. Are these policies too strict or too lenient? Encourage students to consider the serious
What are some ways in which a speaker can regain the confidence of those who have
accused her or him of unethical communication?
Suggest that speakers should discover exactly what led to accusations of them as unethical
How can you use this class as a way to contribute to positive public discourse?
This chapter presents an opportunity to discuss how material covered in the public speaking
discuss the importance of speaking to advance constructive goals, as opposed to speaking to
III. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
QUESTIONS
The following questions may help you illustrate the important points in the chapter and facilitate
students’ learning of this material. These questions can be used as:
homework questions
quizzes
What is ethics?
Ethics is the study of moral conduct—how a given culture or group within it believes people
Think of ethics and freedom of speech, and generate some speech categories that may be
ethically questionable.
racist speeches
speeches on homophobia
sexist speeches
What is ethos? Give an example of someone who you believe demonstrates positive ethos.
Ethos is a Greek word that means character. Someone who has positive ethos is perceived by the
To be perceived as a credible speaker, what types of behavior should you display?
Demonstrate that you have a sound grasp of the subject
Display sound reasoning skills
What are the three major ethical theories discussed in Chapter 5?
Consequentialist ethics suggests that it is the outcome or consequence of our conduct that
Identify and explain the ground rules for ethical speaking.
Dignity: A feeling of worth, honor, or respect as a person
Integrity: Incorruptibility; speakers who demonstrate integrity do not compromise for the
sake of personal expediency
Pick two of the preceding ground rules for ethical speaking, and give personal examples of
either complying with or breaking these rules.
What are the three limitations to the First Amendment?
Speech that provokes people to violence
What is plagiarism, and how can you avoid it?
Plagiarism: The use of other people’s ideas or words without acknowledging the source. You can
summarized information, and any facts and statistics, ideas, opinions, or theories gathered and
reported by others.
Who are some of the most ethical people you have known personally? Have you tried to
emulate their behavior? What are some of the qualities that you admired most about these
people? On the basis of these qualities, what could you offer to other people as advice about
becoming more ethical?
Students should be encouraged to think of people who follow the rules of trustworthiness,
integrity, respect, responsibility, and fairness. Students should also think of personal
ACTIVITIES
The Real Consequences of Plagiarism
Purpose: To impress upon students the severity of the consequences of plagiarism.
Instructions:
Locate a news article/clip involving speech plagiarism. What was the speaker accused of
plagiarizing and do you feel he or she was held accountable in an appropriate way?
Ethos on Television (also for online courses)
Purpose: To illustrate the idea of ethos and source credibility.
Instructions:
1. Students should think of public figures, such as television news anchors, actors, and
politicians, whom they perceive as credible.
2. Identify the qualities that make the speaker appear credible.
Additional instructions: This activity can also be given as an outside assignment or homework.
Students may also work in groups and present a comparison of speakers. Or they could bring in
video clips, from television or movies, that do and do not illustrate each of the following
characteristics of ethos:
has a sound grasp of the subject
displays sound reasoning skills
is honest
Values Match
Purpose: To determine the values of your classmates.
Instructions: Using Milton Rokeach’s value survey in Chapter 5 of the textbook, have students
rank their terminal and instrumental values. Then, either have students walk around the room and
Discussion: Students can have discussions among themselves, or the instructor can lead a
discussion, comparing one individual’s values to those of others using the figure “Comparing
Values.”
Additional instructions: Have students write up a one- to two-page reaction to this activity
during class or as a homework assignment.
Is Lying Ever OK? When?
Purpose: To encourage students to think about lying and to determine their own thoughts and
feelings about the moral and ethical implications of lying.
Instructions:
Part 1: First, have students form small groups (four to five members). Then have them compile a
list of ways they think they can tell if someone is lying. Next, have them list strategies they have
Part 2: Within the same groups, have students identify interpersonal circumstances that might
Discussion: As a whole, the class should discuss the information obtained in both Parts 1 and 2.
In addition, the instructor could ask students why they believe they are justified in lying. Also,
how would they feel if they were lied to, even if the source had his or her own justifications?
Becoming Credible through Competence
Instructions: Have students pick a topic, either one they plan to give a speech about or one that
interests them as a possible topic for the future. Alternatively, the instructor may assign topics, or
have students pick a topic out of a hat. Based on their topic, students will generate ideas for how
Disclosing your relationship to the topic
Using sources that are not used by everyone else
Wearing clothing or objects to signal your relationship to the topic
Ethical Speech Topics
Activity 1:
Purpose: To determine various types of appropriate and ethical speech topics for a public
speaking class.
Instructions: Have students list three or four topics that they consider inappropriate or unethical
for a classroom setting. Then students should form groups of four or five to compare their lists
with those of other members. Based on the lists of all group members, generate a list of five
Activity 2:
Purpose: To determine how the same speech can be considered both ethically and unethically.
Instructions: Provide a list of possible speech topics, such as banning fraternities on campus,
same-sex marriage, supporting or opposing United States involvement in foreign conflicts, and
What Is Plagiarism?
Purpose: To determine what constitutes plagiarism.
students whether they have ever known anyone who was caught plagiarizing. Once groups are
IV. GROUP ACTIVITIES
Ethics for a Culturally Diverse Audience
Purpose: To encourage students to examine the ethical considerations of speaking for a
culturally diverse audience.
Instructions: Form a team of four or five people. Suppose you have been asked to give a panel
presentation at the international students’ orientation. What are some of the things you should
think about to ensure that your speech is ethical?
Ethical Theories
Purpose: To encourage students to give thought to the three ethical theories in connection with
their own preferred methods of distinguishing ethical from unethical behavior.
Instructions: In a group, consider the three ethical theories presented in Chapter 5. Which
theory are you most likely to use when making decisions about ethical issues? Discuss your
reasoning for using this particular theory.
Students might not be familiar with the theories presented in the chapter, so this activity might
Ethical Speaking
Purpose: To give students the opportunity to apply the concepts learned in Chapter 5 to real-life
public address.
Instructions:
Working in a small group, find a speech that was given in the last ten years. Examine the speech
to detect any problems with ethics. Present a report to the class on your findings.
