LESSON 1

Ethical Communication Defined

Ethical communication is a type of communication that is predicated upon certain
business values, such as being truthful, concise, and responsible with one’s words and
the resulting actions. As a set of principles, ethical communication understands that
one’s thoughts must be conveyed and expressed effectively and concisely and that the
resulting actions or consequences will [potentially] be based solely on how the message
was communicated. Thus, ethical communication defines a framework or set of
acceptable communication principles that align with an enterprise’s overarching code of
conduct or code of ethics.

Fundamentals Of Ethical Communication

Perhaps the main principle of ethical communication is honesty, as other factors stem
from this core value of presenting information in the most reliable and factual way
possible. Any attempt to mislead or present confusing information is not ethical
communication. Additionally, the “honesty” principle of ethical communication is linked
inexorably to other core principles – consistency and responsibility. This entails that
information presented to different parties be consistent, and that short-term and long-
term consequences of honest communication are to be accepted as one’s
responsibility.

Ethical communication also assumes that communicated information is always

presented (and received by the listener) according to one’s subjective perception, even
if only in the most minimal way, and thus the goal of ethical communication is to be as
objective as possible when communicating with others and to ensure that every
recipient receives the same message.

Openness and Transparency

Truthfulness & honesty is the most core principle of ethical communication. This means
that speaking 99 percent of the truth in a matter – while leaving out one percent of the
facts – is not ethical communication, as omitting any detail (intentionally) changes the
way that a listener will perceive an event. Thus, being 100 percent open and
transparent, and hiding nothing, is key in order for all business relationships – whether
within a business between its members, or with business and their partners, or even
customers – to succeed in the short term and long term.

Being honest is linked to one’s personal and professional trustworthiness and integrity.
In a perfect world, all members of an organization would have a positive reputation of
honesty, such that listeners never doubt that what they are saying is 100 percent true.
Within an organization – and between businesses – this type of honest communication
can be the difference between a project being completed successfully or not. For
instance, utilizing ethical communication, to be honest about the time and/or budget
constraints during a board meeting with primary stakeholders can be the difference
between the project meeting its goals, or failing due to misunderstandings and/or
miscommunication. Thus, one of the primary goals of ethical communication is to
prevent any misunderstandings or instances of miscommunication.

Language Use
Obviously, ethical communication dictates that speakers utilize the language that
listeners understand. It would make little sense to present a business presentation in
English to a non-English speaking Chinese audience. Taking this example further, it
would also be unethical to communicate the information mostly in Chinese, with a
certain section in English, presenting only parts of the data to the Chinese audience.

Jargon
Every industry has its own jargon. When speaking to a layperson, it is ethical to speak
with simple, easy-to-understand words, while avoiding the use of heavy jargon, resulting
in portions of the presentation/communication being incomprehensible to a portion of
the audience.

Language Fluency
Ethical communication takes into account the level of fluency as well as the language
spoken by listeners so that recipients of the communication (whether it be spoken or
written) are able to fully understand what is being communicated.

Accessibility to Technology
In this information and digital age, some take accessibility to advanced technology for
granted. For instance, while smartphones are readily available, and translation apps are
abundant, not everyone is able to access such applications or platforms. If a business
wanted to present certain pieces of information to an audience while expecting the
audience to translate it into their native language via an application, there may be
confusion. Thus, the ability to access certain technology – and the know-how on how to
use certain applications – may be a roadblock when it comes to ethically communicating
to a particular audience.

Development of Relationship
The art of communication allows people to express themselves in order to develop
relationships. In business, this can be an employee dealing with a manager, executives
communicating with stakeholders, or managers talking with other business
representatives. It is critical for there to be no confusion or misunderstandings when
businesses try to develop relationships within themselves and with other business
entities or clients/customers. To accomplish this, ethical communication principles must
be followed, ensuring that all parties can receive the consistent truth, and understand
what needs to be done, and how it needs to be done.

Principles of Ethical Communication

There are a myriad of core principles associated with ethical communication, starting
with the core value of honesty that all other values are connected to. However, it can be
said that there is a value underlying honesty (with regard to ethical communication) and
that is emotional intelligence/empathy as the precursor of all soft skills, which allows all
personnel to be understood, and to effectively communicate with others. Emotional
intelligence, within the framework of ethical communication, allows one to understand
the needs of others, and meet those needs in the most efficient manner possible as if
you were in their shoes.

1. Be Truthful And Honest

Being honest means communicating what is known to be true (only 100 percent the
facts) to a listener, with no intent to deceive or present only parts of the truth. It also
means being as objective as possible, that is, not tailoring the story based on what the
speaker wants the listener to believe. Letting the listener take the data that is objectively
presented and believe what they choose to believe is a core goal of ethical
communication. Ethical communication should be based on accurate information and
facts – in a word, do not lie.

2. Active Listening
Hearing someone and listening to them are two different things. In order for ethical
communication to be effective, it is necessary for the recipient to pro-actively listen to
the speaker, and to not just hear what they want to hear, or to hear only parts of the
conversation. This also means asking questions when any point is not completely
understood, for the sake of clarification.

3. Speak Non-Judgmentally
Ethically and concisely communicating means speaking in a non-judgmental manner
with every recipient, negating unnecessary conflict, which typically creates a breakdown
in communication and causes misunderstandings. Unnecessary conflict is never good
for any business, and such conflicts usually result from unethical communications, with
judgmental, accusatory, and overly-critical comments often being the catalyst for such
breakdowns in communication.

4. Speak From Your Own Experience

Bringing your personal experience into a dialogue with business listeners is important,
providing backup for your arguments with something more tangible. Such a
communication method (experiential communication) paints a complete picture for your
audience and helps to prove your points so that the listeners have a better
understanding of what is being said.

5. Consider the Receiver’s Preferred Communication Channel

You risk losing an audience if you use a communication channel that is not preferred by
your intended receiver. To effectively communicate with your listeners, use the most
preferred communication channel, whether that be face-to-face, email, conference call,
phone call, messenger app, etc. Also, when presenting data to a business audience, be
aware of the preferred method of presentation for that business, whether it be graphs,
slides, PowerPoint presentations, etc. Additionally, since body language is very
important, it is often preferred to meet business clients face-to-face.

6. Strive To Understand
While it is important to be proactive in listening, it is important for listeners to also strive
to fully understand what is being said before responding. While asking for clarification or
confirmation of a point is fine, many times questions that listeners pose have already
been answered. Listeners should think about what has been said before constructing a
reply. Reading “in between the lines” is also an important skill that allows for
understanding what isn’t said, but was implicitly said or implied.

7. Avoid A Negative Tone

Ethically communicating assumes the speaker will avoid rudeness, be polite and
professional, and have tact. The ethical communicator knows that it’s not only important
what you say, but how you say it. Tone is one of the most critical facets of
communication. A listener may miss the meaning altogether if the tone is wrong, which
can lead to unnecessary confrontations that decrease business productivity.
Controlling one’s tone goes along with self-control, a soft skill that allows one to know
how they wish to reply to a terse business message (for instance) versus the most
effective manner for replying. Essentially, keeping the tone positive or neutral is best, as
the tone of a written message – or of one’s voice – is always picked up by the receiver,
and can alter how the message is received and/or understood.

Additionally, while it is acceptable to be honest and open, tact – and professional

maturity – means knowing when it is inappropriate to speak up, and when it is crucial to.
Tact also means knowing that being completely honest does not equate with being rude
or negative – it is possible to be completely honest and open with one’s thoughts and
feelings while still remaining polite and respectful.

8. Do Not Interrupt Others

Allowing others to speak is important for the creation of a civil, effective working
environment. Interrupting others results in misunderstandings and unnecessary conflicts
and a breakdown in workplace communications, which only hinders corporate progress
and creates problems. Interrupting others not only shows a lack of respect, but does not
allow the listener to fully grasp what is being said, which often results in incorrect
assumptions being made.

9. Respect Privacy And Confidentiality

Most businesses should include a clause in their code of ethics defining what is
appropriate when it comes to honoring client and employee confidentiality and privacy.
This can have a wide range of implications, including minimizing workplace gossip, and
mitigating toxic conversations about the private lives of clients and/or personnel.

10. Accept Responsibility

As noted before, a core tenant within any ethical communication framework is taking
responsibility for the actions that result from one’s words, whether it be good or bad.
This includes both short term and long term consequences of one’s communications.
Owning one’s words reinforces the importance of being conscientious about ethical
communication.

Ethical Communication In An Organization

In business organizations, communicating concisely, ethically, and appropriately are all

necessary so a business can operate effectively and efficiently. Operating according to
a communication-based code of ethics is important for both small and large scale
person-to-person conversations. For larger audiences it is often important for business
members to employ additional values to their communication principles, such as:

 Choosing the right place/time: Speaking about a particular topic in a business

often requires choosing the most pertinent and appropriate time and place in
order for the message to be most effective. This requires knowing the recipients
and having tact, along with utilizing strategy and planning.

 Knowing one’s Audience: Certain audiences may prefer different verbiage or

jargon, or may prefer one communication channel over another. Being an
effective communicator means knowing your audience in order to communicate
in the way that he/she will understand the best.