As in all communication situations, you must observe the highest ethical standards in preparing and delivering a persuasive message. How? Give your listeners valid and reliable information based on sound research. If you distort, withhold, or misrepresent the facts, you deprive listeners of the information they need and the ability to freely accept or reject your message. That’s unethical and therefore incompetent. Malala Yousafzai could have used her persuasive skills to lash out against the Taliban gunmen who tried to take her life. But she didn’t. Instead, she chose to speak ethically to gain support for her goal that all children in developing countries deserve 12 years of quality education.
To see how the principles and guidelines of persuasive speeches can come together, look over the transcript for the speech “Becoming a Socially Conscious Consumer” by Jacob Hahn on pages 458–