Is ethical communication the same as effective communication?
Five different law enforcement professionals were asked the above question and there were five different answers. Each person provided a slightly different perspective. However, they agree it is easier in this digital age to hide behind a computer and propagate white lies. Some respondents acknowledge how different cultural backgrounds or standards of conduct can make communication difficult between groups and being ethical becomes relative. Lastly, ethical communication can be effective but effective communication can be deceptive and unethical. In a nutshell, ethical communication and effective communication are at times different, ethical communication requires more information and communicative dialogue, generational expectations have evolved to demand more ethical communication.
Law Enforcement Officer and former military
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Law enforcement officer and lawyer
Law enforcement internSometimes. I wish that ethical communication would always be the same thing as effective communication. If it were, that would mean the communicator always meant what was said, and that honesty and truth were integral to what was being communicated. While this can be the case depending on circumstances, it isn’t always the case. For example, someone can effectively communicate a lie for whatever benefit they get from the lie. The communication in that situation is effective (i.e. the message they meant to send was received), but it isn’t ethical…” Therefore, ethical communication cannot be equivalent to effective communication.
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Law enforcement professional and certified public accountant
Intern for Law enforcement- GenYNo. I personally believe that through time, communication has evolved to incorporate a more ethical foundation. With the wider acceptance/right to information and increasing expectations of our (US ) governmental officials, ethics has indeed become the foundation of public communication. At times, effective communication may not be the most ethical posture to take, but, as public servants, one must meet the expected responsibilities of their constituents. However, ethical communication may not be the most effective as it mostly implies complete/exact definitional explanations and well-thought out models – where effectiveness is usually short and succinct (ie: media buzz words and snapshots of cases/stories). In a nutshell…they are at times different, ethical communication requires more information and communicative dialogue, generational expectations have evolved to demand more ethical communication.
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