ethics in public speaking

ETHICS in PUBLIC SPEAKING

• In public speaking, as in other areas of life, there are standarts for ethical conduct.

• The goal of the public speaking is to gain a desired response from listeners.

• Speechmaking is a form of power andtherefore carries with it heavy ethicalresponsibilities.

The Importance of Ethics

• Ethics is the branch of philosopy that dealswith issues of right and wrong in humanaffairs.

• Questions of ethics arise whenever we ask whether a course of action is moral orimmoral, fair or unfair, just or unjust, honestor dishonest.

• Question of ethics also come into wheneverpublic speker faces an audience.

• “In an ideal world, all public speakers wouldbe truthful and devoted to the good of society.” Plato

However ;

• We are unfortunately living in a real world, but not in an ideal world. Therefore, along withthis, history and experiences tell us the powerof speech is often abused- sometimes withdisastrous results.

GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL SPEAKING

• “We should formulate meaningful ethicalguidelines, not inflexible rules.”

Richard Johannesen

• Your ethical decisions will guided by yourvalues, conscience, sense of wright andwrong.

However;

• This does not mean such decisions are simply a matter of personal whim or fancy.

• Sound ethical decisons involve weighing a potential course of action against a set of ethical standarts or guidelines.

• By the way, these guidelines will not automatically solve every ethical dilemma you face as a speaker, but knowing them will provide a reliable compass to help you find your way.

GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL SPEAKING

Make Sure Your Goals are Ethically Sound

Be Fully Prepared for Each Speech

Be Honest in What You Say

Avoid Name-calling and Other Forms of Abusive Language

Make Sure Your Goals are EthicallySound

• Consider why you're speaking. Are you tryingto persuade your audience to adopt a certainviewpoint or consider a new idea? If so, you'llwant to make sure that you lead youraudience to that belief point in an ethicalmanner. Don't use tactics like intimidation.


• Additionally, have the responsibility andprofessionalism to know whether or not youhave a conflict of interest on a given topic orwith a certain audience or venue.

• Recuse yourself--provide your audience with a full disclosure of conflict of interest, andadjust your speech accordingly.


• ex: Adolf Hither was unquestionably a persuasive

speaker. His oratory/addressing activated the

German people to follow him as an ideal and a

leader person. But his aims were horrifying and

his tactics despicable. He stirred the German

people to condane war, invasion and genocide..


• Therefore; He remains to this day the ultimate

example of why the power of the soken word

needs to guided by a strong sense of ethical

integrity.


• “A speech is a solemn resonsibility.” Jenkin Lyod Jones

• Effective speakers are those who take the time to

fully prepare their speeches, from the speech

writing process to the delivery of the speech to

the very clothes they wear for the speech. If you

don't prepare, it will show and ultimately affect

your credibility/reliability as a speaker to your

audience and colleagues.


• Respect your audience by taking thorough

time to write, edit, review and rehearse your

speech before presenting.



• Good preparation is an ethical requirementas well as a practical one. Your audience has given you time and an opportunity, andaudience members deserve to hear your besteffort.


• You have an obligation- to yourself and to youraudience- to prepare fully every time you stand in front of an audience. To yourself, because thebetter you prepare, the better your speech willbe.

• To your listeners, because a bad 30-minutespeech to an audience of 200 people wastes onlyhalf an hour of the speaker but the speakerwastes 100 hours of the audience’s time- morethan four full days.


• “This should be a hanging offense!!!”


• Being prepared for a speech involves

everything from analyzing your audience to

creating visual adis, from organizing your ideas

to rehearsing your delivery. But the most

crucial one from an ethical standpoint is being

fully informed about your subject.


• No matter what the topic or the audience, you

need to explore your speech topic as thoroughly

as possible. Investigate the whole story, learn

about all sides of an issue, seek out competing

viewpoints, get the facts right. Not only will you

give a better speech, you will also fulfill one of

your major ethical obligations.

Be Honest in What You Say!

• Nothing is more to ethical speaking thanhonesty.


• Honesty is an extension of the ethical goals of your speech. Don't resort to falsehoods oropinions presented as facts to make your case. Come from a place of authenticity instead of deception. Your credibility can becomedamaged when it is revealed you have eitherlied or even just slightly bent the truth in yourspeeches.


• Public speaking rets on the unspokenassumption that “words can be trusted andpeople will be truthful.”

• Without this assumption, there is no basis forcommunication, no reason for one person tobelieve anything that another person says.


• Once the bond of the trust between a speakerand listener is broken, it can never be fullyrestored.

Avoid Name-calling and Other Formsof Abusive Language

• Name-calling is the use of language to defame

(karalamak,itibarsızlaştırmak), demean (küçük

düşürmek) or degrade (aşağılamak) individuals

or groups.


• One writer explains: “Our identities, who and

what we are, how others see us, are greatly

affected by the names we are called and the

words with which we are labeled.”


• When applied to ethnic and religious groups in

America, for example, it includes such epithets

as “kike” for Jewish, “nigger” for African,

“wop” for Italian, “jop” for Japanese, “chink”

for Chinese and “spic” for Hispanic ancestry.


• This words dehumanize the groups they are

direted-against. They imply that the groups

are inferior and do not deserve to be treated

with the same dignity and respect as the other

members of the society.


• The is true of sexist language. In English, the

most obvious is the generic “he”, which

excludes women from whatever group is being

discussed. Ex: “when a college student studies

for an exam, he should review all his lecture

notes”.


• There are also countlesswords and phrases

that convey negative, stereotyped, or

misleading views of women.

• Ex: “chick (piliç,çıtır)”, “dumb blonde (aptal

sarışın)”, etc.

Put Ethical Principles into Practice

• Being ethical means behaving ethically all thetime- not only when it is convenient.

• As you work on your speeches, ask yourselfsuch questions as:

• “Is my choice of topic suitable for theaudience?, Are my supporting materails clearand convincing?, How can I phrase my ideas togive them more impact?”


• These are strategic questions. As you answerthem, you will try to make your speech as informative, as persuasive or as entertainingas possible.

• We have a checklist for ethical publicspeaking. Some questions from there arebelow:

Checklist For Ethical Public Speaking

• Can I defend my goals on ethical ground?

• Have I done a thorough job of studying andresearching the topic?

• Am I honest in what I say in the speech?

• Do I use emotional appeals ethically?

• Does the speech contain valid reasoning?

• Do I use the power of language ethically? etc.

Prepared by: Mehmet ŞANVERDİ

ethics in public speaking

Education