Communication

Ethics
 • Compare and Contrast the types of communication that would be most likely to
occur in each of the following contexts. Include a description of the nature of each
interaction, the probable attire of each person, and his or her demeanor.

1. The first few minutes of a party 5. A college classroom

2. A business meeting 6. A political rally
3. A coffeehouse 7. A football stadium
4. A funeral home 8. A computer chat room
Communication Ethics

• As a whole, for us to be guided in our decisions in our communication with others, it is best to consider
suggestions on ethical communication (Johannensen,1990).
• Ethical communicators are respectful of their audiences.
• Ethical communicators consider the consequences of their communication.
• Ethical communicators respect truth.
• Ethical communicators use information properly.
• Ethical communicators do not falsify information.
• Ethical communicators respect the rights of others to information.
In the workplace, Eunson (2007) listed ethical dilemmas that people are often faced
with, such as:
∙ Should I embellish my resume or curriculum vitae with ‘half-truths’ in order to
get a job?
∙ Should I ‘lie with statistics’ when using graphs or charts in documents or
presentations to make my arguments more persuasive?
∙ Should I pass on, and perhaps embellish, rumours on the organizational
grapevine?
∙ Should I plagiarize materials to pad out documents I am writing?
∙ Should I use dubious tactics (attack the person, divide and conquer)
when negotiating with others?
∙ Should I censor, filter or block information getting to others?
∙ Should I censor myself or remain silent when the group I am in is
making important decisions?
∙ Should I create ‘spin’ or deceptive impressions when communicating
with the public?
∙ Should I use knowledge about human behaviour to more effectively
manipulate others?
∙ Should I deliberately distort the situation analysed in a report I am
writing in order to create further work opportunities for myself?
∙ Should I use knowledge about leadership styles to manipulate others?
∙ Should I manipulate meetings so that a hidden agenda, rather than the
written agenda, is followed?