What ethical responsibility of public speaking is violated if a speaker promotes the dangers of binge drinking but then engages in that behavior?

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Prepare for UCF SPC1608 Exam. Enhance your oral communication skills with multiple choice questions, hints, and explanations. Ace your final!

Choosing integrity as the answer is appropriate in this context because integrity refers to the alignment between a speaker's words and actions. When a speaker promotes the dangers of binge drinking while simultaneously engaging in that behavior, they fail to uphold the ethical standard of integrity. This creates a significant disconnect between what they advocate publicly and their personal conduct, which can undermine their credibility and ethical stance.

In public speaking, maintaining integrity fosters trust among the audience. When speakers are seen as reliable and honest, their message is likely to resonate more effectively. Engaging in behaviors that contradict the messages they communicate can lead to questions about their genuine commitment to the topic and can erode the persuasive power of their speech.

The other options, while related to ethical public speaking, do not directly address the fundamental concern of acting in accordance with one's stated beliefs and values as much as integrity does. Authenticity relates more to being genuine in presentation, accountability focuses on taking responsibility for one's actions, and transparency involves being open about motivations and processes. Although each of these is important, integrity specifically captures the issue of consistency between one's declarations and actions.