Page 29 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

Research-Based Content Emphasizes the Importance
of Ethics and Critical Thinking in Both Speaking and

Listening

Ethical Speaking and Listening 78 Part 1 Foundations
Chapter 4, “Ethical Speaking and Listening,” offers practical informa-
Imagine that you are an executive at a Fortune
tion for ethical speaking, ethical listening, and cultural understanding, 100 company making as much as $30,000 per
day in stock options. You hear rumors about
the company’s financial stability at the same
time you watch your Chief Executive offi cer on
with emphasis on avoiding plagiarism. TV tell the audience that the company could
not be in better financial health. You hear an-
other rumor that those above you are selling
their stock in the company at the same time the
CEO is encouraging rank and file employees to
buy more. But you say nothing, silenced by the
power, prestige, and financial success you cur-
rently enjoy as a result of your job.
Fast-forward five years. Hundreds of Indiana
University students and faculty are assembled
to hear you give a speech on why you finally
quit the preceding job in disgust, and be-
came one of the biggest whistleblowers in the
history of private industry. Your name is Lynn
Brewer, your Chief Executive Officer was Ken
Lay, and the corporation was a company named
Enron. 2
Chapter 5 Listening 109 Far-fetched as this example may seem, it is
the absolute truth. Lynn Brewer’s conscience
finally got the best of her. She gave up the title,
the power, and the money and spilled the
Everyday Importance of Listening goods on a group of people so greedy that they
bankrupted their company and destroyed the
financial security of the employees who had
We engage in listening much more than any other communication behavior. As trusted them. Now she stood before a group
Exhibit 5.1 shows, over the course of our lives listening easily eclipses all other of students as a public speaker, her purpose
communication activities. 1 Research also reveals that most of us are not very Enron founder Ken Lay was tried and convicted for his straightforward. As the co-founder and CEO
good at listening. The average listener remembers only about half of what was unethical and illegal business practices. of The Integrity Institute, Lynn Brewer was
said immediately after hearing a message, and only about half of that—a mere there to share a cautionary story about ethi-
quarter of the original message—48 hours later. 2 cal lapses and ruined lives; to warn students
The listening skills you learn and practice in this class will help you both now against being seduced by power and money; to convince her audience that
and in your future. First, as a college student, you are exposed to hundreds of there is no excuse for the kind of unethical behavior in which Enron executives
hours of lectures, group discussions, and mediated communication. The ability engaged.
to process and absorb information is the essence of learning. Not every professor Reading this chapter won’t make you a famous whistleblower, but it can fur-
is a brilliant speaker, holding your attention with ease. You need to listen espe- ther your understanding of what it means “to do the right thing” in general,
cially well if you are to obtain the maximum benefi t from your college career. and in the public speaking transaction specifi cally. Clearly unethical behavior is
Second, listening skills are essential to success in the workforce. One of the reported daily in our media, and it is easy to become confused about the prin-
key complaints of many employers is that employees do not listen effectively, ciples that underscore ethics and the practice of these principles in daily life.
costing millions of dollars each year in mistakes and ineffi ciencies. Among the We begin with some basic questions that repeatedly come up when discussing
skills employers value in listeners are “listening for content; listening to conver- ethics. In the process, we introduce some of the thinking that has been advanced
sations; listening for long-term contexts; listening for emotional meaning; and on the topic of ethics by history’s best minds. We then show how ethics can guide
listening to follow directions.” 3 us in the development as well as delivery of our speeches and in our role as con-
Third, listening skills are essential to interpersonal communication, espe- sumers of the information shared in the speeches of others.
cially in families. How many times have you heard children or parents complain
that no one listens to what they say? In interpersonal contexts, listening must go
well beyond content, focusing on the emotional and relational components of
the communication transaction.
Fourth, listening skills are essential to effectively communicate information
to others. You need to adapt your own messages to the feedback you receive
from others. Understanding what others need is essential to successfully infl u-
encing their beliefs, attitudes, and actions through the speeches you share.
Critical Listening
Chapter 5, “Listening,” has been substantially revised and empha-
Writing 14%
Speaking 16%
Listening 53% sizes the International Listening Association’s suggestions for improv-
Reading 17% ing listening skills.
Exhibit 5.1
Listening Relative to Other Types
of Communication
Chapter
15
Thinking and Speaking Critically
Critical Thinking and Speaking
A full chapter on critical thinking,
Chapter 15, “Thinking and Speaking
Objectives www.mhhe.com/brydon6 Key Concepts
Critically,” provides a detailed treat- After reading this chapter and reviewing the online learning ad hominem mistaking
resources at www.mhhe.com/brydon6, you should be able to:
arguing in a correlation for
circle (begging cause
• Explain the difference between argumentativeness and the question) misused numerical
ment of critical thinking, with a focus • verbal aggressiveness. argumentativeness data
Evaluate arguments using the Toulmin model of reasoning.
non sequitur
• Differentiate among patterns of reasoning. critical thinking post hoc, ergo
distorted evidence
on recognizing and responding to • Identify and refute common fallacies of argument. fallacy propter hoc
pseudoreasoning
false analogy red herring
fallacies of reasoning. Al Gore hopes to provoke viewers to think critically about global warming in his fi lm An Inconvenient Truth. false dilemma (smoke screen)
halo effect
slippery slope
hasty stereotyping
generalization straw person
hyperbole
unsupported
ignoring the issue
assertion
inference verbal
isolated examples aggressiveness
loaded language
“ It is better to debate a question without settling it
than to settle a question without debating it. ”
—JOSEPH JOUBERT
xxviii