Ethics and Public
Speaking
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter, students should be able to:
2. Discuss the five guidelines for ethical speechmaking presented in the chapter.
4. Identify the three basic guidelines for ethical listening discussed in the chapter.
2
CHAPTER 2⎯ETHICS AND PUBLIC SPEAKING 69
Chapter Outline
I. Questions of ethics are central to the art of public speaking.
A. Ethics is the branch of philosophy that deals with issues of right and wrong in human
affairs.
B. Ethical issues arise when we ask whether a course of action is moral or immoral, fair
or unfair, just or unjust, honest or dishonest.
C. Questions of ethics come into play whenever a public speaker faces an audience.
II. Just as there are guidelines for ethical behavior in other areas of life, so are there guide-
lines for ethical behavior in public speaking.
A. Public speakers should make sure their goals are ethically sound.
B. Public speakers should be fully prepared for each speech.
III. Plagiarism is one of the most serious ethical lapses a public speaker can commit.
A. Plagiarism, presenting another person’s language or ideas as one’s own, is a serious
offense.
B. There are three types of plagiarism.
1. Global plagiarism is taking an entire speech from a single source and passing it
off as one’s own.
3. Incremental plagiarism occurs when a speaker fails to give credit for specific
parts—increments—of the speech that are borrowed from other people.
C. Just as one needs to credit the authors of print books and articles, so one needs to
credit the authors of documents found online.
IV. Listeners, as well as speakers, have ethical obligations.
A. Listeners should be courteous and attentive during the speech.
B. Listeners should avoid prejudging the speaker.
C. Listeners should maintain the free and open expression of ideas.
70 CHAPTER–BY–CHAPTER GUIDE TO THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
Exercises for Critical Thinking
(from text page 43)
1. Look back at the story of Felicia Robinson on page 28 of the textbook. Evaluate her dilemma
in light of the guidelines for ethical speechmaking presented in this chapter. Explain what you
believe would be the most ethical course of action in her case.
Discussion: This exercise is designed to have students apply the guidelines for ethical
public speaking discussed in the chapter. The best way to conduct the exercise is to dis-
2. The issue of insulting and abusive speech—especially slurs directed against people on the
basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation—is extremely controversial. Do you
believe society should punish such speech with criminal penalties? To what degree are col-
leges and universities justified in trying to discipline students who engage in such speech?
Do you feel it is proper to place any boundaries on free expression to prohibit insulting and
abusive speech? Why or why not? Be prepared to explain your ideas in class.
Discussion: Few issues have generated more heat on college campuses—and in Ameri-
can society at large—in recent years than abusive language and how to deal with it. Most
3. All of the following situations could arise in your speech class. Identify the ethical issues in
each and explain what, as a responsible speaker or listener, your course of action would be.
a. You are speaking on the topic of prison reform. In your research, you run across two pub-
lic opinion polls. One of them, an independent survey by the Gallup Organization, shows
that a majority of people in your state oppose your position. The other poll, suspect in its
methods and conducted by a partisan organization, says a majority of people in your state
support your position. Which poll do you cite in your speech? If you cite the second poll,
do you point out its shortcomings?
CHAPTER 2⎯ETHICS AND PUBLIC SPEAKING 71
Discussion: Like the other two scenarios in this exercise, this one is designed to relate
ethical questions directly to situations students will face in their classroom speeches. In
b. When listening to an informative speech by one of your classmates, you realize that much
of it is plagiarized from a Web site you visited a couple weeks earlier. What do you do?
Do you say something when your instructor asks for comments about the speech? Do you
mention your concern to the instructor after class? Do you talk with the speaker? Do you
remain silent?
Discussion: This case raises interesting questions about plagiarism and the ethical obli-
gations of listeners. If faced with this situation in real life, most students would doubtless
c. While researching your persuasive speech, you find a quotation from an article by a highly
respected expert that will nail down one of your most important points. But as you read the
rest of the article, you realize that the author does not in fact support the policy you are ad-
vocating. Do you still include the quotation in your speech? Why or why not?
Discussion: This scenario gets at a fairly subtle point about ethics and public speaking. Yet it
is a point worth discussing, for it shows that being an ethical speaker is not just a matter of
72 CHAPTER–BY–CHAPTER GUIDE TO THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
Using Public Speaking in Your Career
(from text page 39)
Having graduated with a degree in public administration and hoping to pursue a career in politics,
you have been fortunate to receive a staff position with one of the leading senators in your state
legislature. Since your arrival two months ago, you have answered phones, ordered lunch, made
copies, stapled mailings, and stuffed envelopes. Finally you have been asked to look over a
speech the senator will deliver at your alma mater. Surely, you think, this will be the first of many
important assignments once your value is recognized.
After reading the speech, however, your enthusiasm is dampened. You agree wholeheartedly
with its support of a bill to fund scholarships for low–income students, but you’re dismayed by its
attack on opponents of the bill as “elitist bigots who would deny a college education to those who
need it most.” You haven’t been asked to comment on the ethics of the speech, and you certainly
don’t want to jeopardize your position on the senator’s staff. At the same time, you think his use
of name–calling may actually arouse sympathy for the opposition.
The senator would like your comments in two hours. What will you tell him?
Discussion: Like many of the other Using Public Speaking in Your Career scenarios
throughout the book, this one does not admit of an unequivocal right–or–wrong answer.
Recognizing the ethical problem with the senator’s speech is one thing; pointing out the
problem to the senator is another. In most circumstances, a new staff member would not
Additional Exercises and Activities
1. Lead a class discussion in which students develop a code of ethical speaking for their class-
room. The final product of the discussion will be a list titled “Ethical Speaking for Our
Speech Class.” By the end of the discussion, the entire class should not only agree on the con-
tent of the list, but should pledge themselves to follow it throughout the term.
Discussion: This exercise works extremely well in promoting dialogue about the ethics of
public speaking. It also relates abstract issues of ethics to the situation in which students
will be giving speeches for the next several months. By developing their own rules for eth-
ical speechmaking, students will be more committed to following those rules.
2. Lead a class discussion in which students develop a code of ethical listening for their speech
classroom. The final product of the discussion will be a list titled “Ethical Listening for Our
Speech Class.” By the end of the discussion, the entire class should not only agree on the con-
tent of the list, but should pledge themselves to follow it throughout the term.
Discussion: A companion to Additional Exercise/Activity 1 above, this is an excellent way
to get students thinking about the ethical obligations of listeners. Like Exercise 1, it relates
ethical issues directly to the speech classroom and gives those issues more immediacy
3. Give each student the following assignment: Identify a situation in your life in which an issue
related to speech ethics was involved. The issue could have affected you either as a speaker
or as a listener. Work up a brief analysis in which you explain the situation and the ethical is-
sue (or issues) involved.
Discussion: This exercise can work very well to promote class discussion about ethical
issues in public speaking. Because it deals with issues that are related to the experience
4. If your class meets during a presidential election year, ethical issues are bound to arise in
relation to the candidates’ campaign rhetoric. Such issues might include the use of negative
campaigning, the distortion of evidence in campaign speeches and advertisements, the use of
name–calling to denigrate the opposing candidate or party, and the tendency of candidates to
say different things to different groups of voters. Set aside time periodically during the term
to deal with such issues—especially when they achieve prominence in press coverage of the
campaign.
Discussion: Because presidential campaigns usually generate fairly intense reactions,
they provide an excellent vehicle for getting students interested in questions of communi-
cation ethics. They also have a tendency to provoke heated discussion—especially among
5. Have students create “Speech Ethics” scrapbooks in which they keep articles that deal with
ethical issues in public speaking. The articles can touch on any aspect of speech ethics, in-
cluding consideration of a speaker’s goals, preparation, truthfulness, evidence, reasoning,
language, emotional appeal, or impact on audiences. They can also deal with the ethics of lis-
tening. Students should be sure to record the source and date of each article. Collect the
scrapbooks near the end of the term.
Discussion: Once students start thinking about ethical issues and looking for articles that
deal with them, it is astounding how many they can find. Although some instructors use
this exercise as a required assignment, others use it as an extra–credit opportunity. In ei-
6. Students often ask about ghostwriting when dealing with the issue of plagiarism. Why, they
ask, is it ethical for politicians, business leaders, and other public figures to have ghostwriters
but unethical for students to have someone else write their speeches? If students raise this
issue, be prepared to conduct a class discussion on the relationship between plagiarism and
ghostwriting.
Discussion: Scholars and popular commentators alike have spent a great deal of time on
the subject of ghostwriting. Most regard it as ethically acceptable among politicians, busi-
ness leaders, and other public figures as long as (1) the speaker does not deceive the au-
7. Have students complete the Avoiding Plagiarism Worksheet, which is available on page 76 of
this manual.
Discussion:
!
Given that plagiarism is one of the most significant issues associated with
ethics and public speaking, the Avoiding Plagiarism Worksheet can be valuable for help-
76
Avoiding Plagiarism Worksheet
Name Section
1. What is the meaning of “plagiarism”?
2. According to your textbook, what is global plagiarism? Give an example.
3. According to your textbook, what is patchwork plagiarism? Give an example.
4. According to your textbook, what is incremental plagiarism? Give an example.
5. What does it mean to paraphrase? How is paraphrasing similar to and different from quoting
verbatim?
6. List three guidelines from your textbook that can help you avoid plagiarism.