Public Speaking

Summary (^39)

Avoid Fabrication

Plagiarism is only one form of academic dishonesty. Another is fabrication, which

happens if you make up information or guess at numbers but present them as factual.

Fabrication has serious consequences. For instance, a well-known researcher faked

scientific data linking autism to vaccines. He was eventually disgraced, but not until the

information was widely disseminated, frightening many parents away from vaccinating

their children.^41 Until he was exposed, students had no way of knowing that his data

were falsified, and many used them in their speeches on childhood vaccinations. After

the news broke, however, the truth became widely available to everyone who double

checks the facts, and speakers who continue to pass on the faked data as true can be

held liable.

Citing a reference you did not actually read or passing along rumors or other

unsubstantiated information are types of fabrication common in public speeches.

Rumors—especially about politicians or celebrities or sports figures—sweep across

Internet blogs, emails, talk radio, and whispered conversations. However, accurate infor-

mation should be available to those willing to search for it. (Hypothetical examples,

described in Chapter 8, are in a different category because the audience understands

that these examples are not real.)

The best ways to avoid fabrication are to use a number of sources and to be alert

for conflicting data. Thoroughly check out your information before you present it as

factual. If something seems suspicious, don’t use it. Many Internet sites exist to uncover

hoaxes and false claims and to expose urban legends of all kinds.^42

Summary

People in pluralistic cultures differ in beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors to degrees

that range from superficial to fundamental, and responses to diversity vary. If you choose

to defy or resist, you defend or bolster your position and (perhaps) attack or ignore

diverse perspectives. If you choose accommodation, you accept differences and work

with others to create a society in which all can live together.

Our culture provides both democratic and dialogical resources that you can combine

to speak and listen ethically. Democratic principles remind you to develop a habit of

research, to present your materials honestly and fairly, and to respond to diversity with

civility. When you choose a dialogical relationship with your listeners, you respect them

as equals, have empathy with their perspectives, and examine both your own and your

listeners’ assumptions in an honest, open manner.

Listening also calls for ethically responsible actions, which many people violate.

Allowing people to speak empowers them, giving them a voice and enabling others to

hear their ideas. However, when speakers present incorrect or misleading information,

you face an ethical decision in which you must balance your rights and responsibili-

ties against the rights and responsibilities of the speaker and other listeners. The term

rightsabilities highlights this tension. Public speaking courses provide good opportunities

to practice civility and behave in ways that help others listen and learn without the stress

of disruptions.

As you present your materials, be sure to cite your references and check a vari-

ety of sources to avoid the ethical problems of plagiarism or fabrication. Plagiarism

occurs when you present the ideas, words, organizational pattern, or images cre-

ated by another person as your own without giving credit to the original source.

Fabrication occurs when you make up material or present something as factual when

it is not.

fabrication making up

information or repeating

information without

sufficiently checking its

accuracy

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