Purposive Communication

Christine Diane Galvan, CSPE, LPT

Instructress
 Ethics in
Communication
 What is Ethics?
• Moral principles that govern a person’s
behavior or the conducting of an activity.
• It is important to understand that whatever
we communicate should be guided by
certain ethical principles.
 Credo for Ethical Communication
• Developed by the US National
Communication Association (NCA, 1999)

“Ethical communication is fundamental to

responsible thinking, decision-making, and
the development of relationships and
communities within and across contexts,
cultures, channels, and media.”
• Enhances human worth and dignity by
fostering truthfulness, fairness,
responsibility, personal integrity, and
respect for self and others.
• Unethical communication threatens the
quality of all communication and
consequently the well-being of individuals
and the society in which we live.
 4 Ethical Principles of Communication

1. Truthfulness, Accuracy, Honesty, and

Reason as essential to the integrity of
communication.
2. Freedom of expression, diversity of
perspective, and tolerance of dissent to
achieve the informed and responsible
decision-making fundamental to a civil
society.
3.Condemn communication that degrades
individuals and humanity through distortion,
intimidation, coercion, and violence, and
through the expression of intolerance and
hatred.
4. Accept responsibility for the short and long
term consequences of our own
communication and expect the same of
others.
 Everytime we communicate, we
should consider the consequences of
our actions. If people were more
responsible in their use of
communication, there would be less
conflict in this world.
 Group Task
Instruction: Show one ethical principle and
what could happen when it is violated.
Groups are encouraged to get real-world
examples from current events.
 Take-home Quiz
1. Why is it important to be ethical in communicating
today?
2. Is honesty still a virtue today? Why or why not?
3. When you think of politicians today, would you say that
they have been communicating in an ethical manner?
4. Who comes to your mind on the subject of violating the
ethics of communication?
5. Why do people communicate in an unethical manner?
6. What consequences can you think of because of this?