Because public speaking is a form of
power, it carries with it heavy ethical responsibilities. Today, as for the
past 2,000 years, the good person speaking well remains the ideal of
commendable speechmaking.
There are five basic guidelines for
ethical public speaking. The first is to make sure your goals are ethically
sound—that they are consistent with the welfare of society and your audience.
The second is to be fully prepared for each speech. The third is to be honest
in what you say. The fourth is to avoid name-calling and other forms of abusive
language. The final guideline is to put ethical principles into practice at all
times.
Of all the ethical lapses a speaker can
commit, few are more serious than plagiarism. Global plagiarism is lifting a
speech entirely from a single source. Patchwork plagiarism involves stitching a
speech together by copying from a few sources. Incremental plagiarism occurs
when a speaker fails to give credit for specific quotations and paraphrases
that are borrowed from other people.
In addition to your ethical
responsibilities as a speaker, you have ethical obligations as a listener. The
first is to listen courteously and attentively. The second is to avoid
prejudging the speaker. The third is to support the free and open expression of
ideas. In all these ways, your speech class will offer a good testing ground
for questions of ethical responsibility.
Review Questions
After reading this chapter, you should be
able to answer the following questions:
What is ethics? Why is a strong sense of
ethical responsibility vital for public speakers?
What are the five guidelines for ethical
speechmaking discussed in this chapter?
What is the difference between global
plagiarism and patchwork plagiarism? What are the best ways to avoid these two
kinds of plagiarism?
What is incremental plagiarism? How can
you steer clear of it when dealing with quotations and paraphrases?
What are the three guidelines for ethical
listening discussed in this chapter?
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