Lakhasly

There are creditable arguments to be made on both sides of the ethical dilemma faced by Felicia Robinson.She has tried to run an honest campaign, and she is troubled by the possibility of unfairly attacking her opponent-despite the fact that he has shown no such scruples himself.Torn between her commitment to fair play, her desire to be elected, and her concern for the good of the community, she faces the age-old ethical dilemma of whether the ends justify the means.Yet she knows that the impending indictment may be her last chance to win the election, and she is convinced that a victory for her opponent will spell disaster for the city's school system."So," you may be asking yourself, "what is the answer to Felicia R obinson's dilemma?"

There are creditable arguments to be made on both sides of the ethical dilemma faced by Felicia Robinson. She has tried to run an honest campaign, and she is troubled by the possibility of unfairly attacking her opponent-despite the fact that he has shown no such scruples himself. Yet she knows that the impending indictment may be her last chance to win the election, and she is convinced that a victory for her opponent will spell disaster for the city's school system. Torn between her commitment to fair play, her desire to be elected, and her concern for the good of the community, she faces the age-old ethical dilemma of whether the ends justify the means.

"So," you may be asking yourself, "what is the answer to Felicia R obinson's dilemma?" In complex cases such as hers there are no cut-and-dried answers. As the leading book on communication ethics states, “We should form ulate meaningful ethical guidelines, not inflexible rules.”1 Your ethical decisions will be guided by your values, your conscience, and your sense of right and wrong.

But this does not mean such decisions are simply a matter of people's personal whim or fancy. Sound ethical decisions involve weighing a potential course of action against a set of ethical standards or guidelines. Just as there are guidelines for ethical behavior in other areas of life, so there are guidelines for ethical

al conduct in public speaking. These guidelines will not solve automatically ever

y ethical quandary you face as a speaker, but knowing them will provide a relia

ble compass to help you find your way