The Communication Styles in the Domain of Public Affairs or to Be or Not to Be Ethical

Abstract

The way of communication is one of the most important elements in an effective dialog in any democratic society. It includes a number of considerations and requirements. “Dialogue requires being taken out of the field of interest (...)“. Usually, the pleasure of dialogue does not consist of reaching consensus, but of the constant and persistent enrichment” (Menyono & Dinimic 2000:15). Numerous studies explicitly state that the trust in a person involved in communication is often more important than the contents of what has been said. Insincere communication is associated with the manifestation of complex behavioral patterns in the process of interpersonal interaction, with the goal of prevailing in the communication process. The persuasion principle is one of the major tools in establishing the way of communication in the sphere of public affairs. But, the key to democratic and sincere communication is the ethical approach to a dialog in the first place. In the mosaic of communication, in the domain of public affairs, we will focus on the persuasive style of communication, ethical and non-ethical behavior of parties in the process of communicating, adopting the interdisciplinary character of analysis. “Embracing this kind of guideline deters us from imposing our ways and our values on others, whose experience and views of appropriate communication may differ from our own” (Wood, 2006: 40).