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?