Ethical principles of communication: what is it, how to learn to speak culturally?

Communication is an integral part of any person’s life. Moreover, it also obeys special rules, thanks to which it becomes easier to establish a conversation. Ethical principles of communication determine the standards of moral behavior and speech during a conversation. People must conform to specific moral guidelines that vary by culture and nationality. If one of the participants in the conversation refuses to comply with them, this can lead to quarrels or simply unpleasant feelings. In any case, one cannot count on a fruitful dialogue in this case.

The ethical principles of conversation are often forgotten, while absolutely everyone is familiar with the other part - various congratulations, greetings, and farewells. In a business environment, communication ethics is generously flavored with formalities and a slightly different approach to oneself and others, but in general the differences are insignificant.

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What is communication culture?

Communication culture is a concept that determines the quality and perfection of communication between people, characterizing moral models of communication, norms and rules of interaction between people.

The basis of the culture of communication is morality , since it is included in all spheres of human society.

From a moral point of view, a person evaluates all manifestations of social life or any individual person, their compliance or non-compliance with moral principles and norms close to him.

Morality also helps to form an image of a moral ideal for a person, which he will strive to live up to.

Morality orients a person to treat a person as the highest value, helps to follow the ideals of justice and goodness, which in everyday life is expressed in human relationships in the family, with colleagues, acquaintances and close friends.

Such contacts reveal such moral qualities as respect, duty, love, loyalty, sympathy, and friendship. a huge role in this.

— The golden rule of conversation.

_______

There is a so-called golden rule of communication, the essence of which is that you should treat others the way you would like to be treated by others. This rule can be extended to any situation. Thus, the following basic ethical principles of communication are considered:

1) altruism (readiness to sacrifice something for the sake of another),

2) virtue (establishing relationships with others from the standpoint of goodness and goodness),

3) exactingness (making demands on oneself and others to fulfill a moral duty, responsibility),

4) justice,

5) parity (equality between people), etc.

Thanks to goodwill, sincerity and openness, trust arises between people, without which communication is impossible. Communication also reveals the following moral qualities of a person: honesty, truthfulness, kindness, respectful attitude towards others, caring for others, politeness, etc.

Also, ethical principles of communication affect the content of the speech itself. It must be logical, understandable to both parties, polite, meaningful, truthful and expedient. Everyone decides for themselves whether brevity is the sister of talent. To some, short speech seems unnatural (this depends only on the person’s personal characteristics).

Ethics: concept

The word "ethics" comes from the Greek "ethikos" - relating to morality, expressing moral beliefs .

Communication ethics is a set, a set of norms and rules of communication in certain situations, the responsibilities of people towards each other in certain situations.

In other words, this is a teaching about the correct manifestation of one’s moral convictions in relation to other people.

Communication etiquette includes many forms of direct human behavior. This is a greeting, the correct address to older people, to colleagues in professional interactions, congratulations, etc.

Thanks to knowledge of communication ethics, a person can not only correctly express his beliefs, indicate his position to his partner so that this does not lead to a conflict situation, but will also be able to understand the other person faster and better.

Chatting with strangers

Sometimes difficulties arise when speaking to strangers in transport or on the street. It is common to use the words: woman, man, boy, grandfather. However, such treatment is unacceptable. According to communication ethics, you need to use impersonal phrases: please tell me, excuse me.

According to the ethics of communication, a man should be the first to greet a woman, a junior to a senior (by age or rank), a latecomer who is waiting, or someone already present who has entered.

Depending on the circumstances, the following types of treatment are distinguished:

Official (madam, citizen, master);
informal (by name or “you”);
impersonal.

Problem

Ethics stipulates the rules of behavior that correspond to morality, and etiquette is only external manifestations, forms of behavior in a given situation. This leads to the main problem of communication ethics - when a person acting according to etiquette does not comply with ethical standards.

In this case, he can be considered a liar and a hypocrite, since his words do not correspond to internal attitudes.

In the same way, a person who demonstrates highly moral behavior without observing the basic rules of etiquette .

Therefore, the concepts of communication ethics and etiquette should not be considered separately. While observing the rules of etiquette, you should always remember the morality of your actions, and when performing highly moral actions, you must not forget about etiquette.

Psychological component in business communication

Psychology in the culture of business conversation allows us to determine patterns in the mental state of interlocutors and, in accordance with its characteristics, be able to create a favorable climate for negotiations. A person with psychological knowledge can defend himself against a partner’s incorrect behavior, use ways to defuse negative emotions, refute opponents’ arguments in a gentle manner, and calmly listen to criticism. The psychological culture of business communication is of particular importance in resolving conflict situations, since they often reveal the characteristics of different psychological types.

Among the techniques and methods of psychological behavioral culture in the process of a business conversation, the following can be distinguished:

Forming a good opinion of yourself (or the company).
Creating a psychologically favorable environment.
Listening to the interlocutor and understanding his motives.
Determining the partner’s internal state (by manners and voice).
Neutralization of comments during a conversation.
Ways to protect yourself from inappropriate behavior.
Techniques for conducting conflict-free conversation.
Self-calming technique.

Cultural communication - what is it?

The culture of communication, thanks to the established system of principles, norms and rules, and the technique of their implementation, helps to solve the main task of communication as such - to achieve mutual understanding of the people in contact.

Conflict resolution

Conflict situations in the business sphere are not uncommon, and their consequences can be quite serious. In this regard, various means and ways to resolve them are used. Today, there are 5 basic concepts that determine behavior in conflict situations:

Ignoring the actions of the other party.
Adaptation to partners' conditions.
Searching for a new format for cooperation.
Finding a compromise.
Competitive fight.

The choice of behavior style in a particular situation is determined by the specific interests of the participants in the conflict. The competitive style is most often chosen by people who have sufficient authority, will, and broad powers and are not very interested in partnering with the opposite side. This tactic can be used if the outcome of the conflict does not have a major impact on the interests of the organization. But it is important to remember that the ethics and culture of business communication still require compliance with certain laws of competition. That is, even with the obvious advantage of a large company over a small company, the manager who will seek a compromise resolution of the conflict, acting in the interests of the partner, will win. Even if you have to sacrifice your interests, in the future the reputational dividends will be able to cover the lost profits at the moment.

Ethical principles

Communication ethics implies adherence to the following principles:

Politeness. A fundamental principle of ethics that dictates respect for one's partner.
Cooperation. Involves a contribution to the common cause from each participant in order to achieve effective interaction.
Parity. According to this principle, all participants in communication are equal, excluding the dominance of any of them. At the same time, even with different social status, those communicating must observe the principle of politeness and respect each other.
Truthfulness. Communication partners are obliged to provide each other with complete and undistorted information on any issue.
Clarity. During verbal interaction, each of its participants must present information in such a way that his partner does not make unnecessary efforts to correctly perceive it.
Subsequence. This principle prescribes the consistent development of dialogue - for example, a greeting implies the same response, congratulations should be followed by gratitude, etc.

Compliance with ethical principles in communication leads to mutual respect and trust of all partners, which become the basis for the development of further interaction between people.

Culture in a telephone conversation

A telephone conversation is a form of conversation within strict boundaries, which often leads to mistakes in business etiquette. On the other hand, the limited format has its advantages, one of which is the ability to model typical situations and ways to overcome them. For example, the rules of business communication culture in a telephone conversation can be reflected in several common examples of behavior:

You cannot call your partner’s home number without prior approval.
The optimal time frame for a possible call can be determined as follows: from 8 am to 11 pm.
If the call is not answered, do not hang up immediately.
If the connection is interrupted, the call initiator must resume it.
You should not speak loudly unless the interlocutor asks for it due to poor hearing.
The conversation should be short and to the point.
You need to answer calls as quickly as possible, otherwise the interlocutor will think that the conversation is not of interest to your partner.
It is undesirable to move away from the phone during a conversation, but if this is necessary, then you should warn the interlocutor in advance.

Also, do not forget that the generally accepted principles of business communication culture require a positive and at the same time meaningful greeting and conclusion of the conversation with a possible summary.

Types of norms

Conventionally, all ethical standards of communication can be classified as recommended and mandatory.

mandatory in the communication process.

Causing harm to a person, humiliation, oppression, or infringement of rights is not allowed.

At the same time, you should restrain negative emotions even if there is every reason to experience them, and not resort to insults.

Recommended ethical standards do not harm the interlocutor if they are not followed, but they allow one to achieve greater respect and trust in those who follow them. This is maintaining self-esteem, modesty, etc.

Also, ethical standards are dictated by the motives of communication:

positive - to surprise, interest the interlocutor, satisfy his need for understanding, bring him joy, give him a compliment;
neutral - convey any information;
negative - to express your indignation at a low act.

Each of the reactions shown is ethical, since they do not contradict morality and are justified by highly moral motives.

Behavior that, although outwardly distinguished by impeccable etiquette, is based on, for example, the desire to gain the trust of a person in order to subsequently deceive him .

What is their non-compliance?

It is convenient to consider non-compliance with ethical standards in the resulting defects in communication , which lead to the following forms of decline in morality:

Moral vacuum . In this case, a person lacks knowledge about ethics as such, or he finds himself in a society whose ethical standards are unfamiliar to him.
Lack of moral initiative - a person expects morality from a partner, without previously taking any action to establish communication.
Moral camouflage is the desire to make a good impression on the interlocutor, focusing on the external manifestation of etiquette, which in fact is not supported by truly moral motives. As a rule, this is accompanied by discussions about the decline of morality, obsessive calls to observe the norms of decency.
Moral regression .
Loss of acquired knowledge, fading interest in observing standards of decency, giving a moral assessment of one’s own actions, as well as ignoring the interests of others. Moral regression is often accompanied by cruelty, practicality, aggression and rationalism.
Intolerance. Characterized by a hostile attitude towards dissident people in religious, political, cultural and other issues. As a rule, it is inherent in authoritarian individuals who have one-dimensional thinking. With such a communication defect, productive interaction can be completely excluded, even in a situation that promises to be beneficial for both parties.
Primitivism. In this case, the justification for non-compliance with moral standards is past merits or undisguised self-interests, which are satisfied through deliberately anti-moral behavior.
Moral deafness is the lack of desire to hear another person, understand and accept his position.

Failure to comply with ethical standards makes communication counterproductive , does not allow people to effectively interact with each other, receive mutual benefit from communication, and thereby eliminates its value.

Moral foundations of communication

"FEDERAL STATE PUBLIC INSTITUTION OF HIGHER PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION EAST SIBERIAN INSTITUTE OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF RUSSIA"

Department of Philosophy, Psychology and Social and Humanitarian Disciplines.

Essay

in the discipline "Professional ethics and office etiquette"

On the topic: “Moral foundations of communication”

Author: Gorbatenko Irina Evgenievna specialty 030901.65 - Legal support of national security, group PONB-12-2 Scientific supervisor: associate professor of the department - candidate of historical sciences, associate professor, police colonel Alexey Alexandrovich Kuznetsov

Irkutsk – 2014

Content

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

1 Communication as a moral value: essence and purpose…………..5

2 Culture and anticulture in communication………………………………………………………..6

3 Communication and ethics………………………………………………………………………………………9

4 Business etiquette………………………………………………………………………………16

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………25

References………………………………………………………………………………..26

Introduction

In modern humanitarian speech, such terms as sociology of communication, psychology of communication, philosophy of communication, aesthetics of communication, pedagogy of communication are increasingly encountered. And, of course, the legitimacy of the combination of words “ethics of communication” cannot raise much doubt; The ethical aspect of communication, probably the most significant and complex, undoubtedly involves its reflection in the appropriate term. Moreover, the special theoretical and practical significance of ethical issues of communication determine the feasibility of creating a specialized section of ethical knowledge called “ethics of communication.”

So, the essence of morality, as a real social phenomenon, the existence of which is associated with the first efforts of people to live and act together, first spontaneously, and then deliberately uniting, is that it is a vital condition for the survival of people, the ordering of their social way of life. This alternative gave rise to a number of theoretical justifications, according to which a moral person is strictly adapted to the conditions of the external environment (English philosopher Spencer), and nature can be called the first teacher of moral principles for a person (P.A. Kropotkin). G. Selye, the author of the generally accepted theory of stress, believes that it is biologically useful, and therefore moral standards should be based on biological laws, on the laws of human self-preservation. Therefore, based on the above, I consider this topic of the essay to be relevant and significant in the life of the entire society.

Purpose of the work: to consider the moral foundations of communication. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were set:

1. consider communication as a moral value: essence and purpose

2. become familiar with culture and anticulture in communication

3. consider communication and ethics

4. become familiar with business etiquette

1. Communication as a moral value: essence and purpose

Perhaps the main achievement of democratization and humanization of our society has been the trends that have changed the content and form of communication between people. First of all, it became more free. This new quality of communication is manifested in everything: today there are no topics forbidden for discussion, people have felt the taste of freedom of expression, and this cannot be taken away from them. Freedom is manifested both in the relaxedness with which we began to communicate with each other, and in the expansion of the sphere of communication.

Today, at the beginning of the third millennium, it can be argued that the attitude towards communication as a value has changed significantly. People not only felt, but also realized the need for communication as a vital necessity, and as a result, attention to the culture of communication increased.

The essence of communication is most fully expressed in the fact that it is the most important aspect of human activity, consisting in a subject-subject relationship, the relationship of one person to another on the basis of mutual recognition of “selfhood and self-worth.” In this understanding, the most important, from the point of view of humanistic ethics, features and properties of communication are determined. Firstly, it appears as an activity, which emphasizes its active-processual nature; secondly, it is emphasized that this activity consists in establishing the relationship of one person to another; thirdly, it is noted that these relations must be of a subject-subject nature, in other words, equal subjects enter into them; fourthly, the conditions of communication are stipulated: everyone recognizes the other’s uniqueness and originality, his right to be himself and expects the same from him.1 Another feature of communication is its creative and improvisational nature, thanks to which the qualities of the subject are revealed - his free activity , the ability to generate new meanings, overcome behavioral stereotypes.

Thus, communication is an interaction based on a person’s need for a person, therefore it is not only a luxury, but a necessity, the primary condition for a person’s existence as a person and his inclusion in society and culture.

The subjects of communication can be: an individual, a social group, or society as a whole. The main forms of communication are identified: interpersonal, intergroup, intersocietal, communication between an individual and a group, between a group and society, between an individual and society.

In order to comprehend the moral meaning of the communication process, it is important to identify its value guidelines - those morally significant factors that determine its main substantive characteristics. Ideal communication is inseparable, for example, from such moral values as freedom, justice, equality, love.

2. Culture and anticulture in communication

Communication culture is a system of norms, principles and rules of communication, as well as technologies for their implementation, developed by the human community in order to optimize and effectively communicate. The culture of communication presupposes knowledge, understanding and observance of those norms of interpersonal communication that, firstly, correspond to the humanistic approach to the interests, rights and freedoms of the individual; secondly, they are accepted in this community as a “guide to action”; thirdly, they do not contradict the views and beliefs of the individual himself; fourthly, they presuppose her readiness and ability to comply with these norms.2

The culture of communication is determined by the combined action of many factors: moral, psychological, sociocultural, “technological”. The level of communication culture is closely related to moral attitudes, values, communicative ideals and stereotypes of society - with what constitutes the concept of moral culture.

Productivity of communication is achieved subject to certain conditions:

— respectful attitude towards a partner, restraint, politeness, careful handling of words that can deeply hurt a person;

— clarity of communication goals, willingness to understand, evaluate and accept the interlocutor’s judgments;

— constant self-improvement, preparing oneself for communication;

— adherence to the principle of tolerance, which generates mutual trust and helps to prevent and overcome conflict situations.3

Naturally, the higher the level of moral culture, the higher the culture of communication, and vice versa: a low level of moral culture, moral “protoculture,” gives rise to certain communication defects that painfully affect the well-being of the individual and the atmosphere in society.

Several “defective” levels of communication can be identified, determined by the costs of anticulture.

A moral vacuum is a person who either does not know the norms and principles of behavior necessary for communication.

Lack of moral initiative - a person takes a wait-and-see attitude, expects warmth, care, attention from others and only then responds to them.

Moral camouflage is the desire to make a good impression, to disguise the lack of genuine moral culture.

Moral anachronism - a person is guided by outdated norms of communication that do not correspond to the expectations of others and the requirements of modern morality.

Moral regression is a simplification and simplification of morals, loss of what has been achieved, accompanied by disrespect for traditions, disregard for experience and well-deserved authorities.

Moral deafness is a lack of orientation toward another, the inability and unwillingness to hear him.

Moral primitivism is a shamelessly naked deal with one’s own conscience in the name of personal interest.

Moral intolerance is characteristic of authoritarian simultaneous thinking that recognizes the only truth and rightness.

It is obvious that for the full realization of the value of human communication, at least two things are necessary: firstly, good will, desire and desire for mutual understanding. But in order for these good intentions to be recognized and captured by the other side, so that the partner can respond to them, it is necessary, secondly, a common “space of understanding”, the basis of which is a high culture of communication, requiring from each person introspection, self-criticism and work on oneself.

3. Communication and ethics

The interaction between communication and ethics is multifaceted. It covers the structural, functional and other aspects of ethics as a science of morality, as well as communication - as a complex process of establishing and developing contacts between people.

Since its inception, ethics has been in interaction with communication. Moral feelings and ideas about proper behavior arise in a person through living together with other people, “thanks to the communication of thoughts and ideas, for in this sense the word “communication” is used in relation to people...”.

Psychological mechanisms such as imitation, infection, suggestion, and persuasion, inherent in the communication process, make it possible to introduce ethical thoughts and ideas into the minds of people and pass them on from generation to generation. Ethics should humanize and ennoble communication between people. Analysis of the interaction between ethics and communication presupposes first clarifying the content of morality studied by ethics as a science. She sought to answer these questions not in everyday understanding, but in theoretical form.

The word “ethics” comes from the Greek “ethos”, the word “morality” comes from the Latin “mos”. The meaning of these words is one - character, custom. The morals and customs of our ancestors constituted their morality and generally accepted norms of behavior. Since certain norms of behavior become stable, they form morals and customs, as well as moral traditions and habits.

Morals and customs are norms of behavior that are consistently manifested in people’s actions and that meet the requirements of a particular society. They constitute the traditional order of behavior characteristic of the mass of people of a given society, a given class. By morals and customs it is customary to understand not only the specified norms of people’s behavior, but also stable, characteristic of a given people forms or features of their life and communication: national cuisine, housing, greetings and clothing, holidays and much more.

The origin of many mores and customs goes back to distant times; their connection with the historical conditions of the development of a given society is often difficult to detect. They have very great stability; behind them is the powerful force of tradition. Having outlived their time, many customs and morals become unacceptable to new conditions. However, they are being eradicated very slowly precisely because they have the power of tradition behind them.

In every era in society, in its various social groups, there are different morals and customs, but society classifies as morality only those morals and customs that express its interests, its requirements for actions and people.

Morality, or morality, always expresses in its norms the interests of society or a certain social group, their requirements for the behavior of people, for their actions, i.e. forms norms of behavior. At the same time, we are talking not only about a person’s behavior within the framework of private life (in the family, a narrow circle of people), but about the norms of human behavior in relation to other people and society. The special nature of a person’s relationship to society and other people, existing in certain historical conditions, leaves its mark on the entire private life of a person.

So, ethics explores a number of questions: about the essence of morality, the patterns of its change and development, principles and norms of behavior; scientifically substantiates the provisions on moral relations, moral consciousness, moral responsibility, moral culture of human behavior and much more.

The increasing role of communication in life is associated with the growth of its culture, including moral culture.

Moral culture is not just the sum of ethical knowledge and not only a set of moral values and principles. This is the level of moral development of a person and society. Moral culture can be characterized as a systemic property of society, a group of individuals, expressing the extent of their assimilation of moral norms of values. This is a certain moral state of the individual and society. The quality of moral life is manifested mainly in the social and humane relations between people, the combination of personal group and public interests.