Summary

Several basic ethical questions are of concern to speakers:

• Why care about ethics? Most people fundamentally want to do what is right.
• Is everything relative? Ethical relativists believe there are no universal ethical principles.
• Are there rules for every situation? Universalists believe there are ethical standards that apply to all situations regardless of the individual, group, or culture.
• Does the good of the many outweigh the good of the few? Utilitarianism is based on this principle.
• How do specific situations affect ethics? Situational ethicists believe it is sometimes necessary to set aside one ethical principle to fulfill a higher law or principle.
• Do the ends justify the means? Speakers should seek ethical ends utilizing ethical means, such as those found in the National Communication Association's Credo for Free and Responsible Communication in a Democratic Society.

Ethical norms for public speaking are:

• Be truthful.
• Show respect for the power of words.
• Invoke participatory democracy.
• Demonstrate tolerance for cultural diversity where consistent with ethical principles.
• Treat people as ends, not means.
• Provide good reasons.

Public speakers face special issues:

• Plagiarism-the stealing of words or ideas of another-is considered a serious ethical violation.
• Building goodwill and trustworthiness is essential to successful and ethical public speech.
• Whether to reveal or conceal one's intentions can present an ethical as well as practical dilemma for speakers.
• Giving a two-sided presentation is both ethically sound and pragmatically more effective.

Listeners should adhere to the following ethical norms:

• Take responsibility for the choices they make.
• Stay informed on the issues of the day.
• Speak out when they are convinced that a speaker is misinforming or misleading people.
• Be aware of their own biases.