Evaluating Communication Ethics: Judging Speeches

EVALUATING COMMUNICATION ETHICS

Evaluating Communication Ethics

Judging Speeches

At the beginning of this chapter, you read about the struggles that people with physical challenges (such as King George VI) face when delivering speeches. But how do culture and ethics collide when it comes time actually to judge or assign a grade to a presentation?

Imagine that your speech class is engaging in peer evaluation. In groups of six, you practice delivering your speech before the final presentation to the entire class. You will evaluate your group members’ speeches twice—and a portion of your grades will be determined by the improvement they make between the first two practice speeches and then between the final rehearsal and the delivery before the entire class.

One woman in your group, Evelyn, has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that permanently affects body movements and muscle coordination. It can have a diverse number of symptoms, but Evelyn struggles most with slurred speech, balance, and exaggerated reflexes. Evelyn is quite comfortable talking about her disability and appears to be a confident speaker. Yet as she talks, you find it somewhat difficult to understand her speech. Because many of her words are slurred, you feel like you’re missing a few main points. And as much as you try not to, you find the fact that she sways when she speaks and that she must grip the back of her chair for balance somewhat distracting.

You feel bad making these comments to Evelyn on her first evaluation, and so you focus your remarks on improvements she can make on the outline. But you’re worried about how the rest of the class will react to Evelyn and even what sort of grade she might get from your professor. You’re now facing your second round of evaluations for Evelyn.

Think About This

  1. Is it ethical to share your concerns with ­Evelyn? Or is it more ­appropriate to keep quiet in this situation?

    Question

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    Is it ethical to share your concerns with ­Evelyn? Or is it more ­appropriate to keep quiet in this situation?
  2. Would you feel differently offering Evelyn critical feedback in an online peer assessment situation? Why or why not?

    Question

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    Would you feel differently offering Evelyn critical feedback in an online peer assessment situation? Why or why not?
  3. Imagine instead that Evelyn is not a native speaker of English and you find her accent difficult to understand. Is it ethical to address these concerns when judging her speech?

    Question

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    Imagine instead that Evelyn is not a native speaker of English and you find her accent difficult to understand. Is it ethical to address these concerns when judging her speech?
  4. If you have been reading this scenario under the assumption that you don’t have any physical challenges, imagine you have a speech challenge or suffer from a chronic illness. Does this influence your critique of Evelyn’s speech?

    Question

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    If you have been reading this scenario under the assumption that you don’t have any physical challenges, imagine you have a speech challenge or suffer from a chronic illness. Does this influence your critique of Evelyn’s speech?