Quiz 02 v3 - Ethical Foundations of Public Speaking

Your friend texts you and says she's having an "ethical dilemma." What is she trying to figure out?

• Why do bad things happen to good people?
• What if the things we think are true are actually false?
• What is the right thing to do?

What is ethics?

• Corruption.
• A set of standards that help a person determine the right thing to do
• Morals

Ethical dilemmas arise...

• Once or twice in your life.
• Only when you're speaking publicly.
• Almost every day.

What is legal behavior?

• Following laws, as written in statues, regulations and codes, and as interpreted by the courts.
• Ethics
• Morals

Jonas does not submit his tax returns because he believes taxes are wrong. He is punished by the IRS. According to the IRS, which behavior did Jonas violate?

• Moral behavior
• Legal behavior
• Ethical behavior

As a spokesperson for a large nonprofit organization, Jana is a member of the National Communication Association and follows the NCA Credo for Ethical Communication. During a press conference, she misstates a statistic, which ends up being reported in a newspaper article. What would be the ethical thing for her to do?

• Hope that no one notices the error and wait for it to blow over.
• Quit her job, because she's clearly not detail-oriented enough for this work.
• Accept responsibility for the mistake and issue a retraction or correction.

Reza and two of her colleagues are attending a conference about SEO and marketing. One of the speakers at the conference seems disorganized and confused, and says a lot of things that don't make sense. Before the presentation is over, one of Reza's colleagues sighs loudly, mutters "this guy's a knucklehead," and walks out. According to the ethical standards of communication professionals, is Reza's colleague being unethical, or just rude?

• Just rude, because ethics doesn't cover how you treat people.
• Unethical, because it shows a lack of respect for other communicators and doesn't strive for understanding.
• Neither unethical nor particularly rude. The speaker was being unethical by wasting their time.

Which of the following is NOT a reason to engage in ethical behavior in public speaking?

• To make more money in your job.
• To earn and keep the trust of the audience.
• To maintain your credibility and reputation.

What is bias?

• A passionate hatred of something or someone.
• A tendency toward or against someone or something.
• A major breach of ethics.

Which of the following is an example of unconscious bias?

• Janet prefers warmer climates to colder ones.
• Yuri gets his news mostly from national newspapers, since he thinks local ones are less reliable.
• Ted is surprised that the building contractor who shows up at his house is a woman.