Principles of Ethical Public Speaking

Public speakers should adhere to ethical principles to effectively communicate with their audience. Here are six key principles to guide audience-centered public speakers:

1. Have a Clear Responsible Goal

• Audience Focus: Prioritize what is best for the listeners, not personal gain.
• Transparency: If persuading, be open and considerate about your intentions.

2. Use Sound Evidence and Reasoning

• Accurate Information: Provide reliable evidence from credible sources such as expert quotes, statistics, or study references.
• Reasoning: Explain how the evidence supports your main points through well-structured sub-points.

3. Be Sensitive and Tolerant

• Consider Audience Diversity: Recognize that listeners may have different viewpoints and cultural backgrounds.
• Avoid Offense: Ensure your words and presentation methods are respectful and considerate to all audience members.

4. Be Honest

• Credibility: Maintain trust by being truthful with your audience.
• Use Hypotheticals Appropriately: Clearly indicate when an example is hypothetical.

5. Don’t Plagiarize

• Originality: Write your own speeches and provide oral citations for any quotes, phrases, or ideas from others.
• Acknowledge Sources: Similar to in-text citations in academic papers, use oral citations during speeches.

6. Speak Credibly

• Establish Credibility: In your introduction, explain why you are a credible source on the topic.
• Knowledge and Competence: Be well-studied and knowledgeable about your subject.
• Dynamic and Trustworthy Presentation: Share information confidently and show you have the audience's best interests at heart.

Conclusion

• Ethical public speaking is based on fundamental principles that prioritize the audience's needs and uphold the speaker's credibility. Building a career as an ethical public speaker involves adhering to these guiding principles.