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MODULE

02
The Principles of Effective

Communication

I. Objective/s
1.Define communication ethics.
2.Reaction paper on globalization

II. Overview
Communication - the act or process of communicating; fact of being
communicated. the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by
speech, writing, or signs.

Ethics - a system of moral principles  deals with values relating to human conduct, with
respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and
badness of the motives and ends of such actions.

Communication Ethics - The principle governing communication, the right and wrong
aspects of it, the moral- immoral dimensions relevant to Interpersonal communication
are called the ethics of Interpersonal communication.

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 III. Things to Ponder

Communication Ethics
 Maintaining the correct balance between the speaking and listening  the legitimacy of
fear and emotional appeal  degree of criticism and praise
 A death or an overdose of either of the factors could result in unfavorable
consequences.  The principle of honesty on both sides should be completely applied
because any amount of insincerity from either the listener or the speaker would not be
prudent.

Fundamentals of Ethical Communication

 responsible thinking
 decision making
 development of relationships and communities
o Contexts
o Cultures
o Channels
o Media

Unethical Communication
 threatens the quality of all communication and consequently the well-being of
individuals and the society.

Principles of Ethical Communication

 advocate truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason as essential to the integrity
of communication.
 endorse freedom of expression, diversity of perspective, and tolerance of dissent
to achieve the informed and responsible decision making fundamental to a civil
society.

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  strive to understand and respect other communicators before evaluating and
responding to their messages.
 promote access to communication resources and opportunities as necessary to
fulfill human potential and contribute to the well-being of families, communities,
and society.
 promote communication climates of caring and mutual understanding that
respect the unique needs and characteristics of individual communicators.
 condemn communication that degrades individuals and humanity through
distortion, intimidation, coercion, and violence, and through the expression of
intolerance and hatred.
 Being committed to the courageous expression of personal convictions in pursuit
of fairness and justice.
 advocate sharing information, opinions, and feelings when facing significant
choices while also respecting privacy and confidentiality.
 accept responsibility for the short- and long- term consequences for our own
communication and expect the same of others.

Interpersonal Communication Ethics

Interpersonal communication refers to communication with another person. This kind of
communication is subdivided into:

 dyadic communication
 public communication
 small-group communication.

Four Principles of Interpersonal Communication

 Inescapable
 Irreversible
 Complicated
 Contextual
o Psychological context
o Relational context
o Situational context
o Environmental context
o Cultural context

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Functions of Interpersonal Communication
 Gaining Information
 Building a Context of Understanding
 Establishing Identity
 Inter Personal Needs
o Inclusion
o Control
o Affection

Distance

 Provides necessary space for each communicative partner to contribute to the

relationship.
 Is interpersonal space that nourishes the very thing that keeps persons together
interpersonally—relationship.
 Is an ethical responsibility, not a flaw or a limitation.  The importance of distance
keeps us from equating interpersonal communication with ever more closeness.

Interpersonal Responsibility
 Begins with each person’s commitment to active care for the interpersonal
relationship, owned by neither and nurtured with or without the support of the
Other.
 Adheres to the insight of Emmanuel Levinas, abandoning the expectation of
reciprocity for attentiveness to a call to responsibility with or without the approval
of the other.
 Involves:
o Caring for an interpersonal relationship. As one seeks a path in life,
interpersonal relationship responsibility invites a balance between
distance and closeness in each relationship, which defines the quality of
our interpersonal lives (Stewart, 2006).
 Sympathy
 Empathy

Ethical Framework
DEONTOLOGICAL ETHICS

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  the most frequented basis of our decision making process, expressing a
commitment to the most basic principles.
 It is regarded as universal, always applicable whatever the circumstance is.
o We follow these rules since we think of them as duties.

UTILITARIAN ETHICS

 focuses on the results and whether or not it would benefit the majority. 
 Utilitarianism focuses on the consequences of each action or decision.

VIRTUE ETHICS

 concerned with moral character and places more weight or value on the dignity of
an individual and a humanity’s task of caring for one another.
 It emphasizes character as opposed to duty or consequence.

SITUATIONAL OR CONTEXTUAL ETHICS

 There is no absolute approach to situations, each situation should be addressed

as different from each other.
 Every problem should be evaluated in its particular context or situation.

Unethical Communication in the Workplace Type

 Coercive
o Intimidation and threatening others.
 Destructive
o Backstabbing and inappropriate jokes.
 Deceptive
o Euphemism and lying.
 Intrusive
o Eavesdropping, tapping telephones or monitoring Internet use
 Secretive
o Hoarding information and cover-ups
 Manipulative-exploitative
o Acts which attempt to gain compliance or control through exploitation

Freedom of Expression

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Freedom of Expression is a basic human right, It refers to right to freedom of
expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions
of any kind in any form.

Internationally, freedom of expression is protected under the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights and the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights.

Used to seek answers and express opinions

Ethical Freedom of Expression

Freedom of Expression must be balanced against society’s need to maintain order,
protect general welfare and public morality

There should be limits to free expression, but only when it involves harm to others

People should refrain from hate speech, the public use of derogatory and offensive
language denigrating others, particularly on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender and/or
sexual orientation.

Mass Communication
Mass communication is used to describe the various means by which individuals and
entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the
same time.

It is the mass production of messages (message) or information that is intended to

reach a large amount of people

Uses mass media; such as newspapers, TV, radio, books etc.

Mass Communication Ethics

 Truth
 Censorship
 Laws
 Privacy
 Appropriateness
 Sensitivity to other cultures
 Respect dignity, privacy, and well being of a person

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Ethic Codes
Ethic Codes (or Ethical Codes) are moral guidelines that are used to help assist people
in making decisions, to tell the difference between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and to utilize this
understanding to make ethical choices

There are 3 levels;

 Code of ethics (social issues)

 Code of conduct (influence to behavior of employees)
 Code of practice (professional responsibility)

Corporate Code of Ethics

Honesty - Professional communicators are honest, accurate and candid in all
communications. This practice encourages the free flow of important information in the
interest of the public

Confidentiality - Protecting the confidences and privacy rights of employees and

customers is the duty of professional communicators. Additionally, they must abide by
legal requirements for disclosing information that affect the welfare of others  Credit -
Give due credit to those who you get ideas from.

Free Speech - Principles of free speech and free ideas should be encouraged. 

Courtesy - Sensitivity to cultural values and beliefs are crucial

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 IV. Check this Out!
Reaction Paper and/or discussion forum on the impact of globalization
on how people communicate or vice versa.

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V. Reflection
A. Thing/s I learned
_______________________________
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B. Question/s in my Mind
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________

C. Realization/s I got
_______________________________
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