Speaking Ethically

While preparing a speech on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Aban runs across a website that has a lot of useful information. The website has numerous articles and links that all discuss the importance of the different functions of the DHS. Being a good speaker, Aban delves into the website to determine the credibility of the information being provided.

Aban quickly realizes that the group sponsoring the website is a fringe-militia group that believes no immigrants should be allowed into the United States. While the information Aban is interested has nothing to do with immigration, he wonders if all the information provided on the website has been distorted to support the organization’s basic cause.

1. Should Aban use the useful information about DHS even though the other information on the website is from an extremist group?
2. Are all sources on the extremist group’s website automatically suspect because of the group’s stated anti-immigration stance?
3. Is it ethical for Aban to use any of the information from this website?
4. If Aban was a friend of yours and he showed you the website, how would you tell him to proceed?

End-of-Chapter Assessment

1. Which of the following is not a potential source of bias that a speaker or author may have?

   1. organizations to which the speaker or author belongs
   2. political affiliations of the speaker or author
   3. financial interests of the speaker or author
   4. information that is widely cited and supported by other sources
   5. information that is only found on the speaker’s or author’s website

2. During a speech, Juanita says the following: “In his book The Dilbert Principle, Scott Adams defines the Dilbert principle as the idea ‘that companies tend to systematically promote their least-competent employees to management (generally middle management), in order to limit the amount of damage they are capable of doing.’” What type of definition is Juanita using?

   1. lexical
   2. persuasive
   3. précising
   4. stipulative
   5. theoretical

3. Edward was delivering a speech on using the Internet for job hunting. In his speech he uses the example of his friend Barry, who was able to network using LinkedIn and other social networking sites to find his dream job. What type of example has Edward used?

   1. positive
   2. negative
   3. non
   4. circular
   5. best

4. Which of the following is not a potential form of support manipulation?

   1. overlooking significant factors or individuals related to your topic
   2. ignoring evidence that does not support your speech’s specific purpose
   3. using evidence in its original context
   4. using evidence to support faulty logic
   5. using evidence from clearly biased sources

5. During her speech about rodents, Anna shows a series of slides explaining the lifecycle of chipmunks. What form of support has Anna used within her speech?

   1. pictographic
   2. quotation
   3. paraphrase
   4. numerical
   5. summary

Answer Key

1. d
2. d
3. e
4. c
5. a