1. Ethics in Technical Communication
Sunil Gokhale

2. Definition: Ethics
Ethics is doing what is RIGHT to achieve what is GOOD.
The key to ethical action is to behave with integrity that is based on sound core of personal values.

3. Definition: Value
A principle, standard or quality considered worthwhile or desirable.
Value analysis boils down to the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
Not all values are ethical.
Interest: Regard for one’s own benefit or advantage

4. Ethics + Values Ethical value Unethical value Non-ethical value
A belief or a principle rooted in moral behavior, based on a sense of what is right.
Unethical value
A belief or a principle rooted in immoral behavior, based on a sense of what is wrong (of consciously disregarding what is right).
Non-ethical value
A belief or a preference that is not related to right and wrong

5. Value analysis: Concentric Ring model
Core values
Honesty, Value of life, Love of family, Respect for others, Personal religious faith
Authority values
Political affiliations, Organized religion, Corporate loyalty, Patriotism
Peripheral values
Fashion tastes, Recreational preferences, Favorite sports, Ice cream flavors

6. Ethical Conflicts Right Vs Wrong Right Vs Right Wrong Vs Wrong
Conflict between clearly ethical and clearly unethical values
Right Vs Right
Conflict among two or more values, all ethical
Wrong Vs Wrong
Conflict among two or more values, all unethical

7. Definition: Business ethics
Personal integrity
A person who adheres to an ethical value system, a moral code
Social value
The sense that we should share and cooperate, even if it means compromising our self interest

8. Are good ethics good business?
Virtue – It’s the right thing to do
Doing what’s right for its own sake out of integrity and pride
Prudence – It’s the smart thing to do
Doing what’s right for fear of consequences of getting caught doing something wrong

9. Ten Basic Values in Technical Communication
Honesty
Our duty to tell the right
Legality
Our duty to obey the law
Privacy
Our duty to respect the rights of others
Quality
Our duty to provide quality products and services that will best serve the user

10. Ten Basic Values in Technical Communication
Teamwork
Our duty to work together to meet mutual objectives
Avoiding conflict of interest
Our duty to be loyal and to observe fair play
Cultural sensitivity
Our duty to reflect the growing diversity of the workplace in our technical communications

11. Ten Basic Values in Technical Communication
Social responsibility
Our duty to preserve and protect the public good
Professional growth
Our duty to maintain and develop our skills
Advancing the profession
Our duty to respect and assist our colleagues and enhance the reputation of our profession

12. Honesty: The best policy?
Honesty is telling the truth. It’s right.
Dishonesty is lying. It’s wrong.
Are you honest? – Well, basically I’m honest.
Communicating honestly is more than just telling the truth. It’s more than not telling a lie.

13. Price for (dis)honesty
Professors may feel the pressure to “publish or perish”
Students feels it is “pass or perish”
In business it is to serve the bottom line
Internal competition for personal advancement is intense

14. Nine ways to lie in Technical Communication

15. Lying by Commission
Deliberate outright falsification or prevarication

16. Lying by Omission
Technical communicator not responsible for something that has been omitted before he gets the material.

17. Lying with Language Deliberate Vagueness Circumlocution Euphemisms
Weaving a verbal tapestry of verbal generalities to disguise the fact.
Circumlocution
Verbally talking around the issue
Euphemisms
Nice word used to sugar-coat an unpleasant reality
False Generalization
Logical fallacy
Loaded and slanted language
Terms that carry strong emotional connotations

18. Lying with Statistics Surveys Percentages Averages
Misuse of numbers for purpose of deception – by commission, omission or circumlocution
Statistics is like a bikini – it reveals the necessary but conceals the essential
Surveys
Percentages
Averages

19. Lying with Graphics
If one picture is worth thousand words, then one lie in the graphics is worth thousand lies.

20. Lying with Photographs
Since the digital file can be subtly – or not so subtly – altered without a trace, it will become almost impossible to know whether a photograph is genuine or retouched.

21. Lying with Multimedia
If still photographs can be altered with major consequences, consider the staggering impact of deceptive or inappropriate use of video footage, sound and animation.

22. Lying with Logical Fallacies
As trained linguistic specialists, technical communicators may be assumed to understand the logical fallacies; it’s therefore hard to imagine how they could use them without intent to deceive.

23. Lying with Propoganda Techniques
Cousins of logical fallacies used mostly in advertisements and politics but they crop up in marketing communication.