It is a known fact that the goal of public speaking is to elicit a desired response from listeners, but not at any cost, but we have to look into the branch of philosophy that deals with questions of right and wrong in human affairs “Ethics”.
The question of ethics arises whenever we ask whether a course of action is moral or immoral, fair or unfair, fair or unfair, honest or dishonest.
We are faced with questions every day in almost every aspect of our life. The parent must decide how to deal with a child who has been sent home from school for unruly behavior. The researcher must decide to shade his data “just a little” to gain credit for a major scientific breakthrough. The buyer must decide what to do with the additional $ 5 change given by mistake by the clerk at the grocery store. The student must decide to say something about a friend who has seen a
final exam.
Ethical issues also come into play when a public speaker faces an audience. In an ideal world, as the Greek philosopher Plato pointed out, all public speakers would be truthful and dedicated to the good of society. However, history tells us that the power of speech is often abused, sometimes with disastrous results.
Adolf Hitler was undoubtedly a persuasive speaker. His oratory prompted the German people to follow an ideal and a leader. But his goals were horrible and his tactics despicable. It remains to this day the defining example of why the power of the spoken word must be guided by a strong sense of ethical integrity.
As a public speaker, you will face ethical issues at every stage of the speech-making process, from the initial decision to speak to the final presentation of the message. This is true whether you are speaking in the classroom or courtroom, whether you are participating in a business meeting or a religious service, whether you are addressing an audience of two or 2,000. And the answer will not always be easy.
Your ethical decisions will be guided by your values, your conscience, your sense of right and wrong. But this does not mean that such decisions are simply a matter of personal whim or whim. Sound ethical decisions involve weighing a possible course of action against a set of ethical norms or guidelines. Just as there are guidelines for ethical behavior in other areas of life, there are also guidelines for ethical conduct when speaking in public. These guidelines will not automatically solve all the ethical dilemmas you face as a speaker, but knowing them will provide you with a reliable compass to help you find your way.
As with other ethical issues, there can be gray areas when it comes to evaluating a speaker’s target areas where reasonable people with standards of right and wrong can legitimately disagree. But this is not a reason to avoid asking ethical questions. If you are going to be a responsible public speaker, you cannot fail to assess the ethical soundness of your goals.
Your responsibility as a speaker is to ask if your goals are ethically sound. During World War II, Hitler incited the German people to tolerate war, invasion, and genocide. More recently, we have seen politicians who betray the public trust for personal gain, business leaders who defraud investors with millions of dollars, preachers who lead lavish lifestyles at the expense of their religious duties.