Speech Chapter 5 Discussion Questions What Advice About Ethical Public Speaking Would You Give Political

Unlock access to all the studying documents.

View Full Document

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.