Communication Ethics

WEEK 2
 Read: Ethics refers to the principles of conduct governing an
individual or a group; professionals ethics, a guiding
philosophy; a consciousness of moral importance (Merriam
Webster Dictionary)

1. How
do you think this definition of ethics relates to
communication as a phenomenon?

2. Howdo you define communication based on this

definition?
 LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
 Define Communication Ethics
 Identify the Principles of Communication
 Analyze the difference between moral and ethics
 Value
the ethical factors significant in the
communication ethics
 Create a slogan on how to communicate responsibly
Communication Ethics

 The principle governing

communication, the right and wrong
aspects of it, the moral- immoral
dimensions relevant to Interpersonal
communication are called the ethics
of Interpersonal communication.
 Communication Ethics

 Maintaining the correct balance between

the speaking and listening.
 The legitimacy of fear and emotional
appeal.
 Degree of criticism and praise
 KEY PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION

1. Interpersonal communication is inescapable

• It is not possible for humans like you and me not to
communicate. Even the very attempt of not wanting
to communicate communicates something. Your
poker face as you listen to somebody also means a
lot. You communicate through both words and
behaviour, as long as you are alive, you can still
behave; hence, you can communicate.
2. Interpersonal communication is irreversible.

How often have you said words in anger and

wished you could take them back? Once you
have uttered something, you can never take it
back, and its effect remains. Anyone who says
that apologies can heal the hurt and caused by
offensive remarks is lying.
3. Interpersonal communication is complicated.

Whenever you communicate with anyone, you

simultaneously interpret both verbal and non
verbal language, and that is often both
confounding and demanding.
4. Interpersonal communication is contextual.

Communication is affected by several factors;

it does not happen in isolation.

a. Psychological Context-which is who you are, and

what you as sender or receiver bring to the
interaction– your needs, desires, values, beliefs,
personality and so on.
b. Relational Context- concerns your reactions to the
other person based on relationships- as boss, colleague,
friend, sibling, parent, and the like.

c. Situational Context-deals with the psycho-social

where you are communicating. An interaction that
takes place in a classroom, which is quite formal, will be
very different from one that takes place in a bar, which
is very informal- where communicators do not need
to be guarded in their speech.
d. Environmental Context- has to do with the physical
where you are communicating- objects in the room
and their arrangement, location, noise level,
temperature, season, time of day.

e. Cultural Context- includes all the learned

behaviours and rules that affect the interaction. For
instance, bodily movement, facial expression,
gesture, distance, and eye contact vary in different
cultures.
How do morals and ethics differ?

Morals are personal Ethics are societal.

code.

These are our own set These are rules accepted

of rules so others are and approved by
neither expected nor society, so they are
required to follow imposed upon everyone.
them.
 ETHICAL FACTORS SIGNIFICANT IN THE
COMMUNICATION ETHICS
1. Building an information network.
 One of the goals of communication network is to
establish an array of communication networks where
there is an open access to various information shared
by all participants within a communicative entity.
However, not all information should be shared or
disseminated especially if it is fake or of high
confidentiality. Credibility and trustworthiness are built
which makes a speaker communicatively ethical.
2. Engaging and participating.
It is a responsibility to be actively involved in various
discussions, employ critical listening, and speak out
what is in the mind. This is to avoid monopoly of talking
and give way to a number of choices, possibilities, and
alternatives
3. Speaking with a heart.
Relationship is one of the keys to effective communication.
To establish it, one must build a sense of sincerity and
commitment every time he/she talks to someone. Choose
the right word that may not offend or humiliate a person.
Being responsible and careful with what is being said is
ethically moral.
4. Condemning discrimination.
Avoid any kind of communication that leads to
distortion, intolerance, intimidation, stereotyping, hatred,
coercion, and violence. Instead, commit to
communication that promotes personal conviction by
being fair and just.
5. Respecting and understanding each other.
Before judging and evaluating a view or a
perspective, learn first to respect and understand the
content of what is said. This opens a diversity of
perspective and tolerance which is fundamental to
human interaction.
 GUIDELINES ON HOW TO BE AN ETHICAL
COMMUNICATOR
1.Ethical Communicators are respectful of their
audiences.
Communication is a two-way process. It implies someone or
group aside from ourselves and an attempt on our part to
influence that person in some way. Audience analysis
therefore is an important part of communication as how we
influence others will depend to a large extent on our
attitudes towards our audiences. Respect for the other party
includes respect for the ideas and feelings of the people with
whom we interact.
2. Ethical communicators respect truth.

A great deal of the ethics of communication involves a

respect for truth. Interpersonal communication works on
the basis of assumed cooperation between the two
parties of the communicative process. A workable
relationship between the two cannot be arrived at if one is
lying or consciously distorting information. Honesty is
essential in close relationships and if we cannot trust the
other party, our communication becomes increasingly
ineffective. If the lack of trust is is pervasive enough, it is
destructive finally to society.
3. Ethical Communicators use information properly.

Providing information to people needs good

preparation beforehand. Talking about a topic with
little or no background would be giving limited, if
not false information. To speak with authoritatively
on the subject is to look into the different dimensions
of the topic so we can provide accurate
information about it.
4. Ethical communicators do not falsify.

One way of falsifying information is through

plagiarism, the use of words or ideas of another
without giving credit to the source. If we fail to
attribute the material to its original creator,
consciously or through negligence, it would appear
that the words or ideas are our own and this is some
form of intellectual theft.
In groups, the class produces a slogan on how to
communicate responsibly.
Standard Below expectation Expectation level Beyond
expectation level

Relevance of the 1 3 5
slogan’s message

Creativity and 1 3 5
artistic value of the
design that goes
with the slogan

Observance of 1 3 5
correct language
and grammar