Ethics and ethical communication are not only an important part of our lives and our decision-making but also are crucial to the public speaking process.  When we engage in ethical public speaking, we convey good sense, good will, and good morals. Moreover, ethical communication is the exchange of responsible and trustworthy messages determined by moral principles. Communicating ethically does not simply mean that you are saying nice things that everyone agrees with; it is saying things that are true and supported by evidence, which allows the audience to make a well-informed decision.

 

Directions:
To further our understanding and application of ethics, we are going to use some real-life examples to help us determine what ethical public speaking really looks like.

 

1. First, we are going to watch the commercial below and answer the corresponding questions.
https://youtu.be/lQ-ByUx552s?t=4

After you have watched the commercial, answer these questions:
a. Do you feel that this is an ethical commercial on the whole? Why or why not?
B. Do you feel like this commercial told you the truth?

 

2. Once you have watched the first commercial and answered the questions, watch this video.
https://youtu.be/H_zsZMn5Efk?t=2

In your responses, answer the following questions:

Which commercial, the original or the parody, had a more ethical concern for the audience? Why do you believe that?  Can you identify ethical violations in the original commercial after seeing the parody?
How do these performances tie into speech ethics in your own presentations? What do these videos say about the ethical responsibilities that we have to our audiences?