Speaking Ethically (^33)
Habits of research, honesty, fairness, and civility—these are by no means all of
the democratic principles related to public speaking. However, this list gives you some
specific ways to think about ethical speaking. Since diversity is pervasive in our society,
you must create your own way to best respect (and live comfortably with) cultural
differences.^18
Diversity
in praCtiCe
Does Facebook encourage Civility?^19
Communication researchers are currently exploring ways that digital media
help or hinder high school and college students’ civic engagement and
involvement in issues of public concern. Early studies are finding that online
groups based on common interests are not just “echo chambers” that only
reinforce the participants’ views. Instead, the more time students spend in
online groups, the more exposure they have to diverse perspectives. Compared
with youth who don’t participate in online groups, these students are more
likely to volunteer, give to charitable causes, and express their opinions about
community issues.
Researchers next plan to explore questions related to civility. How do young
people respond online to diverse viewpoints? When, how, and why do they attack
the opposition? Do they present reasoned support for their own views? Rethink
their perspectives? The answers, when they come, may be surprising.
Questions
- Are you a member of online groups? If so, what are they? Do any of them deal
with controversial social or political topics? - Do you find diversity of participants and of opinions in the groups? Read
through some recent messages. How do the participants, in general, interact? - Go to an online news or opinion site and find an article about a controversial
topic. Read the comments below the article. How do they support or contrast
with the NCA’s Credo for Ethical Communication?
Use Dialogical Principles
A dialogical perspective is not a set of “rules”; instead, it is a mind-set linked to cultural
values of honesty, openness, and freedom of choice.^20 Taking a dialogical perspective can
help you be more ethical as a speaker and listener. In The Magic of Dialogue: Transforming
Conflict into Cooperation, Daniel Yankelovich^21 identifies three essential components of
dialogue: equality, empathy, and examination. (See Figure 3.1.)• Equality means you and your listeners respect each other and regard each other’s
opinions as important enough to consider.
• Empathy means you show compassion and a willingness to identify emotionally with
others in an attempt to understand other perspectives.
• Examination means you put aside a know-it-all attitude and willingly scrutinize both
your assumptions and those of others with an open mind. You may never agree with
some people or you might eventually persuade them to adopt your views.Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.