5.1: Ethics in Public Speaking

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Page ID: 308019

Joel Sakakihara, Russell Hong, and David Hamilton
De Anza College

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Ethics in Public Speaking

Ethical public speaking matters now more than ever. Every day, people are influenced by speeches, social media posts, campaign messages, viral videos, campus discussions, and global events. From debates on immigration and climate action to conversations about equity, artificial intelligence, and public health, messages can spread faster than they can be corrected. When a speaker communicates without honesty or care, misinformation can divide communities and damage trust. When a speaker communicates ethically, audiences are more likely to feel respected, informed, and open to listening.

College students experience this dynamic all the time. Maybe you have seen a viral TikTok that turned out to be false, watched a heated city council clip online, or heard someone in class confidently cite statistics that sounded questionable. Ethical speaking helps prevent those problems. When you double-check facts, respect different perspectives, and communicate with a clear purpose, your voice becomes more credible and persuasive. Whether you are preparing a classroom presentation, advocating for students on campus, or getting ready for a future career, ethical communication shows that you can be trusted to lead, collaborate, and make a positive impact.

Ethical public speaking is grounded in honesty, respect, and responsibility. In 1999, the National Communication Association created the Credo for Ethical Communication to guide communicators in classrooms, communities, and public life (National Communication Association, 2018). These principles encourage speakers to value truth, respect diverse perspectives, and take responsibility for the impact of their messages. Ethical speakers share truthful information, cite their sources, and avoid language that harms or degrades others. Ethical listeners also play a role by giving speakers a fair chance to be heard and evaluating messages thoughtfully instead of reacting based on assumptions or stereotypes (Borchers & Hundley, 2021). Research shows that trust in communication increases when speakers demonstrate transparency and respect and that ethical listening reduces conflict and strengthens community.

Applying the NCA Credo to Public Speaking

Ethical communication is a shared responsibility. Speakers make choices about evidence, language, and how they represent other perspectives. Audiences make choices about how carefully they listen, evaluate evidence, and respond.

Be truthful and accurate. Check your evidence, represent it honestly, and cite your sources rather than exaggerating information to strengthen your argument.
Represent other perspectives fairly. You can strongly disagree with someone without misrepresenting their position. Address what people actually argue, not a weaker version that is easier to attack.
Choose language responsibly. Consider how wording, labels, stereotypes, and emotional language might influence how an audience views an issue or group.
Allow room for disagreement. Ethical communication does not require everyone to agree. Listen to competing perspectives, evaluate their reasoning, and make space for thoughtful disagreement.
Consider the consequences. Before speaking or sharing information, ask what your message might cause people to believe, feel, share, or do.

How Perspective Shapes Our Choices

Imagine two students discussing college affordability. One works full-time while attending school and pays most of their own expenses. The other has tuition and living expenses covered by family. Neither perspective is automatically more valid, but their experiences may influence what each considers a “reasonable” solution.

Ethical communication involves more than telling the truth. Speakers and audiences bring their own experiences, assumptions, values, and perspectives to communication. These can influence what information we notice, which sources we trust, how we interpret evidence, and which experiences we consider important.

Bias refers to assumptions or tendencies that can shape how we understand people, ideas, and information. Bias is not always intentional. A speaker’s bias might influence which evidence they select, which perspectives they include, or how they describe an opposing viewpoint. An audience member’s bias might affect whether they trust a speaker or give an unfamiliar argument a fair hearing.

Power and privilege can shape communication too. Power refers to a person’s ability to influence decisions, conversations, or whose voices are heard, while privilege can provide greater access to resources, opportunities, authority, or public platforms. A college president, professor, student leader, and first-year student, for example, may all speak about the same campus issue, but their voices may not carry the same influence. Ethical communicators consider not only who is speaking and what they are saying, but also who has the power to be heard, whose perspectives may be missing, and how those differences shape the conversation (Allen, 2023).

Our experiences can give us valuable insight, but they can also create blind spots. Recognizing bias and privilege does not mean eliminating every influence on our thinking. Instead, it means asking better questions: What assumptions am I bringing to this? What might I be overlooking? Whose perspective haven’t I considered?

For speakers, this might mean seeking credible evidence, representing opposing views fairly, avoiding stereotypes, and acknowledging information that complicates an argument. For audiences, it means listening critically, examining our own assumptions, and considering evidence before reaching a conclusion. The National Communication Association’s Credo for Ethical Communication emphasizes this shared responsibility through truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, reason, and respect for other perspectives (National Communication Association 2018).

Ultimately, ethics involves choice. Speakers choose what evidence to include, what to leave out, which words to use, and how to represent other people. Audiences choose what to believe, question, share, or reject. Being aware of those choices can help all of us communicate more thoughtfully and responsibly.

Example 14.1.1 When the Facts Are Technically True

Jordan is giving a persuasive speech about rising textbook costs. Jordan finds a statistic showing that some college textbooks cost more than $200 and plans to say, “College students regularly pay more than $200 for a single textbook.”

The statistic is real, but Jordan knows that many textbooks cost less and some courses use free OER materials. Should Jordan use the statistic because it supports the argument? Include additional context even if it weakens the point? Find better evidence?

Ethical communication is not always about choosing between a truth and a lie. Sometimes the harder question is whether we are presenting true information in a fair and accurate way.

Key Takeaways

Ethical communication requires truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason. Speakers should use evidence responsibly and represent information fairly.
Ethics applies to speakers and audiences. Speakers make choices about evidence and language, while audiences decide how carefully they listen, evaluate, question, and share messages.
Bias, experience, power, and privilege can shape communication. Recognizing our assumptions and considering other perspectives can help us make more thoughtful communication choices.

Exercises

True but Misleading: Think of a statistic, headline, advertisement, or social media post that could be technically true but still misleading. What important context might be missing?
Check Your Perspective: Choose an issue you care about. Identify one assumption you bring to the issue and one perspective you might not have considered.
The Ethical Choice: Imagine you find evidence that weakens your persuasive speech but comes from a credible source. What should you do with it? Explain your decision.

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Example 14.1.1 When the Facts Are Technically True