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CHAPTER 4
Ethical Public Speaking
CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE
I. Demonstrate competence and character.
A. Ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos, meaning “character.”
B. Aristotle said that audiences will be disposed to listen to and trust a speaker with positive
ethos or good character.
C. Source credibility can be created several ways.
2. Demonstrating sound reasoning skills.
4. Being genuinely interested in the welfare of the audience.
II. Respect your listeners’ values.
A. Values are enduring judgments or standards of what is important, good, or bad in life.
B. Recognizing and respecting the audience’s values are imperative to ethical speaking.
III. Contribute to positive public discourse.
A. An important element of ethical speaking is whether it contributes something worthwhile
and positive to public discourse.
B. Public discourse is any speech that involves issues of importance to the greater
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D. Ethical speech steers clear of invective, or verbal attacks, and arguments that are built
upon fallacies of reasoning.
IV. Use your rights of free speech responsibly.
A. Know the difference between legal and ethical speech.
1. In the United States, the First Amendment protects the right to free speech for both
the ethical and the unethical speaker.
3. Some types of speech are actually illegal.
a. Speech that provokes people to violence, called “fighting words,” is not protected
speech.
B. Beware the heckler’s veto.
V. Observe ethical ground rules.
A. The qualities of dignity and integrity are universally seen as central to ethical behavior.
1. Dignity refers to feelings of worth, honor, or respect as a person.
2. Integrity refers to the incorruptibility of the speaker—that is, to his or her
unwillingness to compromise for the sake of personal expediency.
B. Ethical speaking requires adhering to the ethical ground rules of being trustworthy,
respectful, responsible, fair, and civic-minded.
C. Respect to audience members means treating them as unique human beings, refraining
from rudeness and personal attacks.
D. Responsibility means being accountable for what you say.
F. Being civic-minded means caring about your community, in word and deed.
VI. Avoid plagiarism.
A. Ethical speakers avoid plagiarizing other people’s ideas or words.
2. Whether it’s done intentionally or not, plagiarism is a serious breach of ethics.
B. Orally acknowledge your sources.
1. For each source, alert audience members to the type, the author or origin, the title or
C. Citing quotations, paraphrases, and summaries
2. Paraphrase—information that is a restatement of someone else’s statements, ideas,
or written work in the speaker’s own words—should always be credited.
3. A summary is a brief overview of someone else’s ideas, opinions, or theories and
VII. Fair use, copyright, and ethical speaking
A. Ethical speakers seek permission as needed when including copyrighted materials from
print and online sources in a speech.
2. For works created from 1978 to date, a copyright is good during the author’s lifetime
plus seventy years, and can be extended thereafter.
3. Public domain works are those that have fallen out of copyright and may be
4. The fair use doctrine permits the limited use of copyrighted works without permission
for use in scholarship, criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, and research.
5. Creative Commons is an organization offering six types of licenses that allows
creators of works to decide how they want other people to use their copyrighted
works.
KEY TERMS
communication ethics the study of moral conduct. Applied to public speaking, it addresses our
responsibilities when seeking influence over other people and for which there are positive and
negative, or “right” and “wrong,” choices of action.
ethos Greek word for “character.” According to the ancient Greek rhetorician Aristotle, audiences
listen to and trust speakers if they exhibit competence (as demonstrated by the speaker’s grasp
of the subject matter) and good moral character.
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source credibility quality that reveals that a speaker has a good grasp of the subject, displays
sound reasoning skills, is honest and nonmanipulative, and is genuinely interested in the
welfare of audience members; a modern version of ethos
values a person’s enduring judgments or standards of what is good, bad, or important in life
hate speech any offensive communication—verbal or nonverbal—directed against people’s race,
ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or other characteristics. Racist, sexist, or ageist slurs, gay
bashing, and cross burnings are all forms of hate speech.
fighting words speech that provokes people to violence
slander speech that potentially harms an individual’s reputation at work or in the community and
is thus subject to legal action
respect to feel or show deferential regard. For the ethical speaker, respect ranges from addressing
audience members as unique human beings to refraining from rudeness and other forms of
personal attack.
ethnocentrism the belief that the ways of one’s own culture are superior to those of other cultures
common knowledge information that is likely to be known by many people and is therefore in the
public domain; the source of such information need not be cited in a speech
direct quotation statement made verbatim—word for word—by someone else. Direct quotations
should always be acknowledged in a speech.
paraphrase restatement of someone else’s statements or written work that alters the form or
phrasing but not the substance of that person’s ideas
summary part of a conclusion to a speech; a restatement of points covered; also, a brief overview
of someone else’s thoughts, words, or ideas
CHAPTER STUDY GUIDE
I. SUMMARY QUESTIONS
What is the relationship between speech that is legal and speech that is ethical?
There isn’t necessarily one. The First Amendment ensures protection to both the honest and the
What are values, and what is their relationship to ethics?
Values are our most enduring judgments, or standards, of what’s good and bad in life and of
what’s important to us. Our ethical choices in daily life and in our speeches are our values in
Why is an awareness and appreciation of values—both our own and others’—important in
ensuring ethical speaking?
Being alert to differences in values can help us speak ethically by sensitizing us to the
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What two characteristics are universally seen as central to ethical behavior?
Although there is no single agreed-on code of ethical standards for communication, the
qualities of dignity and integrity are universally seen as central to ethical behavior. Dignity
In addition to dignity and integrity, what other qualities do ethical speakers exhibit?
Ethical speaking requires that we be trustworthy, respectful, responsible, and fair in our
presentations. Trustworthiness is a combination of honesty and dependability. Showing respect
What is plagiarism, and why is it unethical?
Plagiarism is the passing off of someone else’s information as one’s own. To plagiarize is to
How can you avoid plagiarizing?
The rule for avoiding plagiarism as a public speaker is straightforward: Any source that
requires credit in written form should also be acknowledged in oral form. These sources include
II. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. 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 act ethically, and it may be a good idea for students to include this idea in their
advice. Also, people may be skeptical of politicians because they may not believe politicians
2. Are profanity and vulgarity always unethical in public speeches? Can you think of situations in
which they would seem appropriate? What types of situations, and why?
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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 or profanity are acceptable may include specialized audiences that understand the use
3. What are your school’s penalties for plagiarism?
4. What do you think the penalties should be for plagiarizing someone else’s work? Should the
penalty for plagiarizing someone else’s work in its entirety be the same as that for plagiarizing
parts of it? Explain your position.
Consider your school’s policy for plagiarism, typically found in the Student Code of
Conduct. Are these policies too strict or too lenient? Discuss an alternative penalty system that
5. What are some ways in which a speaker can regain the confidence of those who have accused
him or her of unethical communication?
Suggest that speakers should discover exactly what led to the accusations. Should some
6. 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 a public speaking
course can facilitate engagement with current and relevant issues. By thinking about questions
CONTENT PRESENTATION IDEAS
I. STUDENT ACTIVITIES
1. Listen to a speech on C-Span or at the American Rhetoric website, or check out a speech on
DVD or videotape from your library. Does the speaker uphold the responsibilities necessary
for ethical speaking? Why or why not? As a listener to this speech, what would your
responsibilities be?