Ethics in Professional

Communication
 Communication

 Communication is central to our lives.

 Effective communication can help us solve problems and improve

relationships in our professional as well as personal lives.

 Communication experts believe that poor communication is at the root

of many problems and that effective communication is one solution to
these problems.
 Communication

 Communication itself is probably best understood as a dialogic

process.

 A dialogue is simply the act of taking part in a conversation,

discussion, or negotiation.
 Communication
 E.g. A student may describe a conflict with an instructor as
unfair treatment: “I know my instructor doesn’t like the fact
that I don’t agree with his opinions, and that’s why he gave
me such a poor grade in that class.”

 The instructor might counter, “That student doesn’t

understand all the factors that go into a final grade.”

 Each person may believe that he or she is correct and that

the other person’s view is wrong
 Communication Principles

 Communication begins with the self.

 It involves others.
 Communication is inevitable and irreversible.
 Communication has both, a content as well as a relational dimension.
 For example, if a person asserts, “Sit down,” the content of the
brief message is a request for the other person to be seated.
 Relationally, he/she is suggesting that they have the authority
to tell the other person to be seated.
 Consider the difference between “Sit down!” and “Would you
care to be seated?”
 While the content is essentially the same, the relational aspect
seems far different.
 Communication Principles
 Communication involves choices about multiple aspects of the
message, including:

 Verbal, nonverbal, and behavioral aspects; characteristics of

the speaker; relationship between the speaker and the
audience; characteristics of the audience; and the situation in
which the communication occurs.

A change in any one of these variables affects the entire

communication process.
Communication Ethics
 Significance of Ethical Communication

 Ethics are those moral principles, which guide the conduct of

individuals.

 When an organization communicates internally, it shapes the values

of its employees.

 When it communicates externally, it influences the perception of

the external public.

 Significance
◆ Ethical business communication holds great significance on
three main fronts.
◆ Maintaining high ethical standards on each front is essential to
success in business.
1.Business to business:
 E.g. between a business and its suppliers or distributors.
2.Business to employees:
 Organizational communication within the business itself,
how the leadership communicates with the employees.
3.Business to the public:
 How the business develops its public image.
 Function of Ethical Communication

◆Ethical business communication's primary function

is to send and receive messages in a neutral, non-
offensive manner.

◆When communication does not adhere to ethical

standards, the consequences can include unhappy
employees and a poor public image, thus, adversely
affecting business.
Ethics Guidelines for Professional
Communication
 Guidelines for Effective Ethical Communication

 Communicating ethically in one’s business all of the time

can be a struggle.
 However, ethical communication for professionals and in
businesses means being truthful and upfront and saying
what needs to be said, even when it is difficult.
 Fabricating false information is clearly unethical, and so is
exaggerating or omitting important information that
others need to know.
 Guidelines
 Ethical communication:
 Should include all relevant information.
 Is true in every sense and is not deceptive in any way.
 Is accurate and sincere; avoids language that manipulates,
discriminates or exaggerates.
 Does not hide negative information behind an optimistic attitude.
 Does not state opinions as facts
 Does not show bias.
 Is easy to understand.
 Does not forget to acknowledge/credit source.
 Takes extra care with confidential information.
Factors Influencing Ethical
Communication
 Factors Influencing Ethical Communication

1.Every communication decision has some ethical aspect to

it, acknowledged or not:
 There are countless complexities involved in the
communication process, but communicators initially
face two simple choices:
 To speak,
 To listen,
 Each choice implies an ethical decision.
 Factors

 In a message, should the sender disclose information,

motives, or feelings to others?

 That choice inevitably involves an ethical element.

 Clearly, some messages should not be sent, such as those

involving “inside information”, rumors about organizational
change etc.
 Factors

 The timing and mode of communication adds another

layer of complexity to the ethical dimension.
 Is it wrong to tell the truth?

 Is it alright to hide the truth?

 Can one be too blunt?

 Should certain information be communicated only face-to-

face?
 Factors

2.The ethical nature of communication must be considered within the

context of who, what, when, and where:
 Ethical communicators are not only concerned with who or what or
where or when, but with all four dimensions simultaneously.
 Suppose a group of employees, belonging to different
departments discussed an important project they were working
on.
 The discussion took place in a restaurant, while they sipped
their coffees, along with working on the project details.
 This may seem perfectly ethical on the surface but the problem
was that a competitor overheard their conversation.
 Characteristics of Ethical Communication
 The vital characteristics of ethical communication are discussed below:
 Conveying the point without offending the audience:
 While communicating to the audience, conveying the desired
message to them in a significant manner is of primary
importance.

 E.g., the employees in a company can be asked to increase their

efficiency in a demanding manner whereas managers and
executives will feel offended if the same tone is used on them.

 There are different ways to explain the exact things to them in a

much smoother manner.
 Characteristics
 Maintain a relationship with the audience:

 Maintaining the same wavelength with the audience is very

important for a communicator to ensure the effectiveness of the
message.

 Experienced communicators immediately build a relationship

based on trust with the audience as soon as they start speaking.
 Characteristics
 Avoid withholding crucial information:

 In the modern era, information is vital for all decisions.

 Hence, it is important for any organization to be cautious when

communicating with the public.

 The communicated information should be complete and all vital

information must be conveyed appropriately.

 Purposely withholding crucial information might result in the

public conceiving a bad image.
 Characteristics
 Accuracy of information is necessary:

 Any information that is to be passed on must be true and

accurate.

 Communicating without checking the truth of the

information can be highly dangerous for the organization.

 Identification of the source and testing the information is

necessary before communicating it.
Consequences of Unethical
Communication
Consequences of Unethical Communication
 There are many consequences of unethical business
communication.

 Everything in business rises and falls on communication.

 A business may have an outstanding product or service, but if

it doesn't communicate well with its customers, they will not
be satisfied, and this can weaken the business/customer
relationship.
 Consequences

 When ethical communication is lacking; moral, corporate

image and motivation will lack as well.

 Each of these elements affects the spirit of the employees,

which in turn will reflect to the customer and result in a
decrease in revenue.