73
Chapter 3: Speaking Ethically
Key Concepts
3-1 Recognize the ethical implications of your choices during the speechmaking process.
3-2 Describe the benefits of a balanced use of logic, emotion, and credibility in speaking.
Suggested Activities and Exercises
Ethical Quality Scale
J. Vernon Jensen (1985) urges that students be trained to think of individual speech behaviors as
laid along a continuum from highly ethical to highly unethical. This is seen as more productive
Directions: Place students in groups of 35 and distribute one of the following “ethical
dilemmas” to each group. Ask the students to read and discuss the scenario they receive. After
several minutes have students rate the ethical quality of their decisions, encouraging consensus
74
Ethical Dilemma 1
The Situation
You are giving a persuasive speech on the legalization of marijuana and you have found some
excellent supporting materials (statistics and studies) in a pro-marijuana flyer you picked up at a
downtown rally. The flyer is not professionally made and no sources for the information are
listed; still the material is too good to ignore. You decide to go ahead and include the information
in your speech even though you cannot validate its authenticity. What is the ethical quality of
this situation?
Ethical Quality Scale
Highly
Unethical
Moderately
Slightly
Neutral
Slightly
Moderatel
y
Highly
Ethical
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Would your EQ rating vary depending on the following variables?
Ethical Dilemma 2
The Situation
You are scheduled to give a speech in Comm. 20 tomorrow but unfortunately your recent
chemistry final absorbed all of your energy, leaving you with little time to prepare your speech.
Your helpful roommate saves the day and offers you her B+ speech from last semester. After
contemplating your situation, you decide to deliver your roommate’s speech. What is the ethical
quality of this situation?
Ethical Quality Scale
Highly
Unethical
Moderately
Slightly
Neutral
Slightly
Moderately
Highly
Ethical
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Would your EQ rating vary depending on the following variables?
76
Ethical Dilemma 3
The Situation
You are delivering a speech on wilderness safety and you wish to incorporate a great attention-
getting story you heard about a man who had been chased up a tree by a moose in Montana. To
add to the story’s impact you decide to say that the situation actually happened to you, even
though it didn’t. What is the ethical quality of this situation?
Ethical Quality Scale
Highly
Unethical
Moderately
Slightly
Neutral
Slightly
Moderately
Highly
Ethical
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Would your EQ rating vary depending on the following variables?
77
Ethical Dilemma 4
The Situation
The speech on abortion you will be delivering is in two days, but you have not had as much time
to research this topic. The library is closed so it will be impossible for you to get secondary
sources. You hear that a friend in your dormitory has had an abortion, though, and you decide to
interview her. Although your speech is supportive of the pro-life position, you tell your friend
that you believe in a woman’s right to choose. Basically, you tell your friend that you would like
to know about the procedure and promise to keep her name confidential. While delivering your
speech you violate this woman’s privacy by divulging her name. What is the ethical quality of
this situation?
Ethical Quality Scale
Highly
Unethical
Moderately
Slightly
Neutral
Slightly
Moderately
Highly
Ethical
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
How would your EQ rating vary depending on the following variables?
78
Ethical Dilemma 5
The Situation
When listening to an informative speech by one of your classmates, you realize that much of it is
plagiarized from a magazine article you read a couple of weeks ago. After class you confront the
student and tell him/her that you know what he/she has done. The student tries to convince you
that it is no big deal and no one will know anyway because the article was not in a popular
magazine. What is the ethical quality of this situation?
Ethical Quality Scale
Highly
Unethical
Moderately
Slightly
Neutral
Slightly
Moderately
Highly
Ethical
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
How would your EQ rating vary depending on the following variables?
79
Ethical Dilemma 6
The Situation
In order to bolster your own credibility you try the following strategies. What is the Ethical
Quality of each situation?
Ethical Quality Scale
Highly
Unethical
Moderately
Slightly
Neutral
Slightly
Moderately
Highly
Ethical
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
80
Ethics and Your Role as a Public Speaker
Directions: Write one or two sentences expressing your thoughts on the following questions. Be
prepared to discuss these questions in class.
1. In your own words, define ethics.
5. Do these ethical obligations (from Q4) vary based on your value system? How about social
expectations? Are values or societal expectations important for considering ethics in public
speaking?
81
Speech Class Bill of Rights
Have your public speaking classes develop an “Audience Bill of Rights” that reflects the
“Ghostwriting”
If they haven’t done so already, students in your basic public speaking course will inevitably
Ethics Worksheet
Working in small groups, have students create their own lists of “What is ethical; What isn’t.”
Cultural Differences in Views of Ethics
The instructor should present the following in front of the class (a single PowerPoint slide can
Definitions of Ethics
This exercise works well as a homework assignment that students can do prior to the in class
Ethics in Advertising
Gather some advertisements or articles from magazines or tabloids that use unethical propaganda
Tests
Correct answers are marked with an asterisk. The places in the Compact Handbook where the
information was presented are shown in brackets.
True/False Questions
Multiple Choice Questions
8. Speakers can respect the integrity of ideas by not _____.
9. In public speaking, lying includes _____.
10. All of the following may be considered propaganda devices except for:
11. When a speaker tries to gloss over his position by calling his opponent a “sexist,” he is
using which propaganda device?
12. When a speaker tries to discourage independent thinking by making statements like
“everyone is investing in this product,” he/she is using which propaganda device?
83
Essay and Short Answer Questions
13. Describe two ways that you can avoid introducing opinions as facts. [3b.3]