In communicative situations, ethics is best

observed by people who manifest the following:

1.Active and respectful listening (face-to-face
communication)
2.Avoiding prejudice
3.Showing commitment and genuine interest
4.Respecting socio-cultural beliefs and practices
of others
 1. ACTIVE AND RESPECTFUL LISTENING
“You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.”-
M. Scott Peck

Active listening allows a person to help others communicate better

Provides opportunities to be more productive at work, establish
deeper relationships and increase efficiency in both study and work
Helps avoid misinterpretation and misunderstanding, especially when
communicating with people having different belief system, culture and
social background
The importance of self-awareness: A requisite for ethical
communication is being aware of one’s behaviour and habits during the
communicative process in different circumstances. While listening, the
following must be considered:
1. Body language: Are you supposed to stand or do you have to
remain seated? Are you fidgeting or relaxed?
2. Eye contact: Do you make direct eye contact and keep it? If yes, are
you supposed to do that? Do you tend to look away, look down or
turn your attention to your environment?
3. Sense of the message: Can you at least rephrase the message being
told to you? Or does your mind wander off to another topic or to
another person?
4. Turn-taking: Are you actually listening, or just waiting for the other
person to stop talking so you can have your turn?
The importance of active listening: Being an active
listener requires involvement in the conversation or
communicative situation. It demands a conscious
effort to be attentive to the words and more
importantly, to the sense of the message being
relayed. This necessitates concentration, which
means all distractions during communication must
be ignored, as well as practice, which means it has to
be done in every communicative situation until it
becomes habitual.
Five Key Aspects of Active Listening
1. Pay close attention
2. Show physical manifestations that you are listening
3. Check for understanding
4. Don’t interrupt
5. Respond appropriately
 2. HOW PAST EXPERIENCE AND
PREJUDICE AFFECT COMMUNICATION

Past experiences inevitably affect people’s

communication styles in the future. When their
audience responded positively to their message, chances
of them repeating the same style are relatively high.
However, when they were turned down or given
negative feedback, this will definitely influence how
they deliver the message next time.
Sample Past Experiences
1. Your parents reacted negatively when you opened up about your
interest for an opposite sex.
2. Your colleague has forgotten some very important information many
times in the past.
3. A subordinate in a group that you lead disagreed twice in your
suggestions.
4. Your professor ignored your inputs last session.
5. Your teammates reacted positively to your strategy.

What will be the effects in communication on the given experiences?

Prejudice, on the other hand, when people take their
past experiences and make certain assumptions that the
same experience will happen with the same people,
given the same context. Prejudices may be attributed to
culture or personal preference.

It must be noted that effective communicators should

avoid prejudice because it influences the
communication process even before it begins.
1. Old teachers in school are …
2. The athletes and performers in school usually …
3. The lowest form of job in the world is …
4. Working with homosexuals usually …
5. Disabled people in the workplace should …
6. Muslims, Buddhists, or people with other beliefs are
…
 3. SHOWING COMMITMENT AND
GENUINE INTEREST
A key component of ethical communication is showing
commitment in the communicative situation. Being
committed means giving sufficient time and resources to any
discussion or conversation, and being open about any issue
that may arise. Commitment also involves volunteering
important information, even if it puts a person’s own short
term interests at risk, as long as it is for the benefit of the
majority especially in the long run. Encouraging a
communicative environment of trust can go a long way in
promoting ethical communication in any academic or business
setting.
 THE BELLY BUTTO PSYCHE/THE
BELLY BUTTON RULE
 believed to communicate true interest while engaging in
face-to-face communication
The origin of this rule dates back to the 1930s and since
then, numerous scientists and body language experts have
honed the theory
Most notably, Dr. Albert Mehrabian, professor of Psychology
at UCLA said that the belly button rule is the most important
indicator of reading a person’s intention
The belly button rule means the direction of a person’s navel
reflects his/her true interest
 4. RESPECTING SOCIO-CULTURAL BELIEFS
AND PRACTICES OF OTHERS

The concept of globalization is not new, but people

somehow fail to realize that this is not confined to technology
or bridging the world and making it a virtual community.
Globalization also entails changing the way people
communicate to others, especially with different norms,
cultures and belief system.