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Principles of Ethical Communication

The document outlines 10 principles of ethical communication: 1) be truthful and honest; 2) actively listen; 3) speak non-judgmentally; 4) speak from your own experience; 5) consider the receiver's preferred communication channel; 6) strive to understand; 7) avoid a negative tone; 8) do not interrupt others; 9) respect privacy and confidentiality; and 10) accept responsibility. Ethical communication is based on honesty, empathy, understanding others' perspectives, avoiding conflict, and considering the audience.

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Noby Ann Vargas Lobete
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9K views

Principles of Ethical Communication

The document outlines 10 principles of ethical communication: 1) be truthful and honest; 2) actively listen; 3) speak non-judgmentally; 4) speak from your own experience; 5) consider the receiver's preferred communication channel; 6) strive to understand; 7) avoid a negative tone; 8) do not interrupt others; 9) respect privacy and confidentiality; and 10) accept responsibility. Ethical communication is based on honesty, empathy, understanding others' perspectives, avoiding conflict, and considering the audience.

Uploaded by

Noby Ann Vargas Lobete
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Principles of Ethical Communication

There are a myriad of core principles associated with ethical communication, starting with the core value of
honesty that all other values are connected to. However, it can be said that there is a value underlying honesty
(with regard to ethical communication) and that is emotional intelligence/empathy as the precursor of all soft
skills, which allows all personnel to be understood, and to effectively communicate with others. Emotional
intelligence, within the framework of ethical communication, allows one to understand the needs of others, and
meet those needs in the most efficient manner possible as if you were in their shoes.

1. Be Truthful And Honest

Being honest means communicating what is known to be true (only 100 percent the facts) to a listener, with no
intent to deceive or present only parts of the truth. It also means being as objective as possible, that is, not
tailoring the story based on what the speaker wants the listener to believe. Letting the listener take the data that
is objectively presented and believe what they choose to believe is a core goal of ethical communication. Ethical
communication should be based on accurate information and facts - in a word, do not lie.

2. Active Listening

Hearing someone and listening to them are two different things. In order for ethical communication to be
effective, it is necessary for the recipient to pro-actively listen to the speaker, and to not just hear what they
want to hear, or to hear only parts of the conversation. This also means asking questions when any point is not
completely understood, for the sake of clarification.

3. Speak Non-Judgmentally

Ethically and concisely communicating means speaking in a non-judgmental manner with every recipient,
negating unnecessary conflict, which typically creates a breakdown in communication and causes
misunderstandings. Unnecessary conflict is never good for any business, and such conflicts usually result from
unethical communications, with judgmental, accusatory, and overly-critical comments often being the catalyst
for such breakdowns in communication.

4. Speak from Your Own Experience

Bringing your personal experience into a dialogue with business listeners is important, providing backup for
your arguments with something more tangible. Such a communication method (experiential communication)
paints a complete picture for your audience and helps to prove your points so that the listeners have a better
understanding of what is being said.

5. Consider the Receiver’s Preferred Communication Channel


You risk losing an audience if you use a communication channel that is not preferred by your intended receiver.
To effectively communicate with your listeners, use the most preferred communication channel, whether that be
face-to-face, email, conference call, phone call, messenger app, etc. Also, when presenting data to a business
audience, be aware of the preferred method of presentation for that business, whether it be graphs, slides,
PowerPoint presentations, etc. Additionally, since body language is very important, it is often preferred to meet
business clients face-to-face.

6. Strive to Understand

While it is important to be proactive in listening, it is important for listeners to also strive to fully understand
what is being said before responding. While asking for clarification or confirmation of a point is fine, many
times questions that listeners pose have already been answered. Listeners should think about what has been said
before constructing a reply. Reading “in between the lines” is also an important skill that allows for
understanding what isn’t said, but was implicitly said or implied.

7. Avoid A Negative Tone

Ethically communicating assumes the speaker will avoid rudeness, be polite and professional, and
have tact. The ethical communicator knows that it’s not only important what you say, but how you say
it. Tone is one of the most critical facets of communication. A listener may miss the meaning altogether if the
tone is wrong, which can lead to unnecessary confrontations that decrease business productivity.
Controlling one’s tone goes along with self-control, a soft skill that allows one to know how they wish to reply
to a terse business message (for instance) versus the most effective manner for replying. Essentially, keeping the
tone positive or neutral is best, as the tone of a written message - or of one’s voice - is always picked up by the
receiver, and can alter how the message is received and/or understood.

Additionally, while it is acceptable to be honest and open, tact - and professional maturity - means knowing
when it is inappropriate to speak up, and when it is crucial to. Tact also means knowing that being completely
honest does not equate with being rude or negative - it is possible to be completely honest and open with one’s
thoughts and feelings while still remaining polite and respectful.

8. Do Not Interrupt Others

Allowing others to speak is important for the creation of a civil, effective working environment. Interrupting
others results in misunderstandings and unnecessary conflicts and a breakdown in workplace communications,
which only hinders corporate progress and creates problems. Interrupting others not only shows a lack of
respect, but does not allow the listener to fully grasp what is being said, which often results in incorrect
assumptions being made.

9. Respect Privacy and Confidentiality


Most businesses should include a clause in their code of ethics defining what is appropriate when it comes to
honoring client and employee confidentiality and privacy. This can have a wide range of implications, including
minimizing workplace gossip, and mitigating toxic conversations about the private lives of clients and/or
personnel.

10. Accept Responsibility

As noted before, a core tenant within any ethical communication framework is taking responsibility for the
actions that result from one’s words, whether it be good or bad. This includes both short term and long-term
consequences of one’s communications. Owning one’s words reinforces the importance of being conscientious
about ethical communication.

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