Page 132 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking
P. 132
Chapter 4 Ethical Speaking and Listening 99
Is it ethical to stand up in
silent protest or to shout
another speaker down, as
shown here?
Speak Out
The fourth guideline for listeners is related to the fi rst three. It involves the au-
dience members’ ethical obligation to speak up after a speech when convinced
that a speaker is misinforming or misleading people. Most of us have been in
situations where we knew someone was bending the truth, leaving out perti-
nent details, or passing off another’s ideas as original. Under some unique set
of circumstances, keeping this knowledge to ourselves may be justifi ed. In most
circumstances, however, listeners owe it to themselves and others to speak up.
Speaking up can take the form of a question for the speaker following a presen-
tation, asking the appropriate agency for equal time to speak, writing a letter to
