Stuartisaac

Applying Universal Values. We have already noted that the public speaking class encourages us to counter ethnocentrism, which is the group parallel to ego centrism in that it holds up our own culture as the most desirable model. We learn to respect one another’s backgrounds, and to look on the world through different cultural windows. But this also presents us with a problem. If the members of your class represent many cultures, each offering a different outlook, then how can you frame a speech that will communicate and will have appeal across these many audiences-within-an-audience?
One answer to this perplexing problem has been offered by Rushworth
M. Kidder, former senior columnist for The Christian Science Monitor and president of the Institute for Global Ethics. In his book Shared Values for a Troubled World, Kidder reports interviews with leading moral representatives of many cultures that indicate the existence of a global code of ethical conduct, centering on the deeply and widely shared values of love, truthfulness, fairness, freedom, unity, tolerance, responsibility, and respect for life.28 If Kidder is correct, appeals to these fundamental values should resonate in any culture, and should be well received by the diverse members of your public speaking class. We shall say more about how to effectively engage such values.