2. LECTURE ONE RECAP
• In the previous lesson we
explored:
• The role and purpose of
communication in business
• Enhancers of and barriers to
Communication
• The impact of culture, audience
and medium on Communication
• The communication process
• Forms of communication
3. OBJECTIVES:
• At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
• State the principles of ethical business communication
• Describe strategies to navigate communication contexts at the office
• Identify the principles of ethical decision making within organizations
• Use the characteristics of ethical communication to solve problems in given
scenarios
4. WHAT IS ETHICS
• According to Becker 2019,
• Ethics generally deals with norms and
values, with questions of what is right and
what is good, what one ought to do and
ought not to do, and what is a good
person or life. Norms and values have an
important function for individuals and
societies.
• They provide guidance for individual
actions and societal interactions
5. IT IS WIDELY AGREED THAT THERE ARE SEVEN MAIN PRINCIPLES OF
ETHICAL COMMUNICATION, THESE INCLUDE:
• Clarity
• Conciseness
• Objectivity
• Consistency
• Completeness
• Relevance
• Consideration of audience
7. IMPORTANT NOTE:
• If your message lacks clarity and conciseness
and ignores your audience’s knowledge
level, you are not being ethical. Similarly, if
you lack objectivity and present opinion as
fact, you are not being ethical. Furthermore,
if your message is incomplete or you fail to
disclose information in whole or in parts,
you are not paying attention to ethics
8. WRITE ONE EXAMPLE
OF UNETHICAL
COMMUNICATION YOU
HAVE OBSERVED AND
SHARE WITH THE CLASS
9. PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING IN THE WORKPLACE
According to Lumen in Business Communication Skills for Managers, there
are seven main principles to guide decision making in the workplace:
Legal and regulatory requirements set the minimum standard for behaviour.
Long-term self-interest means the pursuit of outcomes that will benefit the self in the long
run.
Personal virtue refers to conformity to a standard of righteousness. You should make
that are honest and truthful individually. The good of the company does not justify lying.
10. PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING IN
THE WORKPLACE (CONT’D)
• Utilitarianism seeks the greatest benefit for the maximum number of people. This is
often difficult to judge over large groups of people.
• Individual rights are related to the freedom to act and think without punishment
through regulatory, legal, or societal means. For example, we make individual health
decisions to smoke or drink beverages loaded with sugar even though the health
costs are borne by many through private and government insurance programs.
• Distributive justice is the fairness of the outcomes. That is, how are the benefits
shared or distributed among the individuals in a group?
• Religious injunction is the main moral and ethical guide for many people.
12. STRATEGIES TO AVOID MISCOMMUNICATION IN
THE WORKPLACE
• When verbally communicating:
• Speak clearly and listen carefully to
ensure information is understood.
• Ask questions and confirm the
meaning of information to avoid
misunderstandings.
• Let others talk – a conversation is a
two-way event at a minimum.
• Engage in difficult conversations
when necessary – not saying
something to avoid a difficult
conversation usually makes things
worse.
• Ensure the tone you use is open and
non-confrontational and encourage
feedback
13. STRATEGIES TO AVOID MISCOMMUNICATION
IN THE WORKPLACE
• When communicating through email (or other
written communication):
• Always read, then re-read an email before sending
to check spelling, grammar and tone.
• Ensure that the content of the email is relevant and
has an appropriate subject heading.
• Ensure that contact details are appended to the
email, so that those reading it can contact the sender
if required.
• Be polite, concise, use valid points and avoid
lengthy ramblings.
• Don’t cc the email to anyone to whom it is not
relevant.
• Avoid using email to discuss confidential
information.
14. OTHER PRINCIPLES OF WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Ensure that your message:
Is simple and easy to understand.
Is to the point and avoids unnecessary repetition or long rambling sentences.
Avoids too many technical terms.
Avoids slang, offensive language and discriminatory, racist or sexist language
Follow the link below for additional information on communicating within a business environment
https://smallbiztrends.com/2013/11/ways-to-communicate-effectively-in-the-workplace.html
15. LET’S PRACTICE
WHAT WE
HAVE LEARNT
• Identify suitable resolutions to the
following situations then discus in teams
when you meet for class
• You get off on the wrong foot with a new co-
worker.
• They asked you for help responding to a
customer inquiry, but you refused to help
because you were working on a deadline and did
not think you could spare the time. There has
been tension between you two ever since, and
now you need their help on a project, but they
are not being very responsive.
16. HOW DO YOU
SOLVE?
• You are frustrated because your colleague on a
project (who lives in Europe), keeps messaging
you at inappropriate times. They send you
seemingly urgent requests when you are either
sleeping or just waking up, and you are tired of
being bombarded with 10 requests before you
even get to work. You get the impression they
are doing this to annoy you because they do
not like you very much, but you don't know
how to approach them.
17. IN-CLASS ACTIVITY 1
• Your instructor wants to know more about you. Write
them an email in which you introduce yourself and
highlight the following:
• How you think this class may help you
• Your career goals (both long and short term)
• A brief description of your employment (if any) or your hobbies
• An evaluation of your current communication skills, including strengths and
weaknesses
18. IN-CLASS ACTIVITY 2- GROUPS
• To help develop your listening, speaking and teamwork skills, interview
another group member then introduce that person to the class. Your
introduction should include information related to:
• Where are you from?
• What work and past time activities do you enjoy?
• What are your talents or achievements?
• How familiar are you with computer technologies?
• What are your personal and professional goals?
19. LESSON REVIEW
• In this lesson we
examined:
• The Principles of Ethical
Communication in the workplace
• The characteristics of ethical
communication
• Principles which guide ethical
decision making
• Strategies to navigate
communication situations at
work
20. PREVIEW OF LECTURE 3
• Next Week’s Lecture will examine the following
concepts:
• Types of business correspondence
• Traditional and modern communication technologies used in the workplace
• Using new and existing media to formulate business correspondence
22. REFERENCES
• Guffey M. & Loewy, D. (2016). Essentials of
business communication (10th
edition). Cengage
• Lumen. (2020). Business communication
skills for managers
• Becker, C. Business Ethics: Methods and
application. (2019). Routledge
