The Ethical Speaker

Ethics really comes down to two things: character and conduct. It’s the study of who we are and what we choose to do. When we present to an audience, we must realize that there’s a strong link between the ability to present well and the power to move people.

Cicero even said, “The stronger this faculty is, the more necessary it is for it to be combined with integrity and supreme wisdom, and if we bestow fluency of speech on persons devoid of those virtues, we shall not have made orators of them, but shall have put weapons into the hands of madmen.” In other words, if a person has great public speaking skills, but no moral compass, we’re in trouble.

In 1999, The National Communication Association (NCA) wrote the Credo for Ethical Communication. This important document can help us to examine our own policies and practices as we strive to be ethical speakers every time we present. The credo begins with these words:

“Questions of right and wrong arise whenever people communicate. Ethical communication is fundamental to responsible thinking, decision making, and the development of relationships and communities within and across contexts, cultures, channels, and media. Moreover, ethical communication enhances human worth and dignity by fostering truthfulness, fairness, responsibility, personal integrity, and respect for self and others. We believe that unethical communication threatens the quality of all communication and consequently the well-being of individuals and the society in which we live.”

The credo then moves into 9 specific principles. Let’s unpack 6 of these affirmations to see how they can influence our character and conduct as public speakers.

1. “We advocate truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason as essential to the integrity of communication.”

It can be tempting to embellish or alter the truth to create a more compelling or convincing narrative. But audience members deserve a presentation that is accurate. Make sure to uphold this important first standard even if the statistics aren’t quite what you wish they were.

2. “We endorse freedom of expression, diversity of perspective, and tolerance of dissent to achieve the informed and responsible decision making fundamental to a civil society.”

We can easily get locked into our own beliefs, our own views, even our own language. However, this principle reminds us that there are different viewpoints out there which deserve respect. We should develop presentations with diversity in mind.

3. “We strive to understand and respect other communicators before evaluating and responding to their messages.”

This is perhaps one of the most important principles for creating respectful dialogue because it reminds us to seek to understand before seeking to be understood. This could mean pausing before responding to an email out of anger. Or listening, really listening, to the person you are in conversation with. In the case of public speaking, it means practicing audience analysis—thinking about and researching your audience and crafting your message from a solid base of knowledge about them.

4. We promote access to communication resources and opportunities as necessary to fulfill human potential and contribute to the well-being of individuals, families, communities, and society.

Do you know the tagline for TED? It’s “ideas worth sharing.” This communication company used the power of speech to spread great ideas. But if they just held small conferences, how far would those ideas have gone? Consider recording your presentations so that your ideas can be spread beyond the room in which you originally present them. We have so many channels of media easily accessible to us. Let’s make use of them to share our ideas.

5. “We are committed to the courageous expression of personal convictions in pursuit of fairness and justice.”

This brings up an interesting point. We often sing the praises of audience analysis—of preparing your message for your specific audience. But while you should be sensitive to the “diversity of perspectives” mentioned earlier, it doesn’t mean you need to surrender your own personal convictions. It’s just as important for a speaker to present from a place of passion and conviction as it is for him to do so ethically and with regard for the audience’s viewpoints.

6. “We accept responsibility for the short- and long-term consequences for our own communication and expect the same of others.”

This brings us back to where we began. The ability to speak well gives us incredible power to move people. That’s a hefty responsibility with the potential for great harm or great good. As we research, write, practice, and deliver our presentations, I hope we feel that weight and that responsibility. May we always be aware of the consequences of our words.

The word “ethos” comes from the Greek word for “character,” so you can bet ethics is important to us at Ethos3. Ready to learn more about how we can help you master the art of presenting?

Join our newsletter today!

© 2006-2024 Ethos3 – An Award Winning Presentation Design and Training Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Contact Us