How to Use Ethics to Communicate with the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram
- JD Solomon
- 21 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Ethics is the second “E” in the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram®, and it is often the most underestimated. Technical professionals spend years mastering methods, models, and measurements, yet the factor that most influences whether senior management trusts their message is not technical at all. It is ethical clarity.
Ethics is not an abstract concept reserved for philosophers. It is the practical foundation for how we make decisions and communicate them to others. When uncertainty is high and consequences are real, ethics becomes a communication tool—one that separates trusted advisors from advocates, technicians, or performers.
Why Ethics Shapes Effective Communication
Ethics determines how we choose what to share, how we present it, and how we guide decision makers through complexity. Three ethical frameworks influence how people make decisions:
Virtue ethics: grounded in right versus wrong, good versus bad.
Consequential ethics: focused on outcomes; the end justifies the means.
Duty‑based ethics: centered on motives, process, and full disclosure.
Most people blend these approaches, but technical professionals communicating to senior leaders benefit most from a duty‑based approach. Duty‑based ethics aligns with the expectations placed on licensed engineers, physicians, and public officials: present the facts, disclose the risks, and respect the decision maker’s role.
Ethical communication is not about being perfect. It is about being responsible.
The Ethical Trap: When Communication Becomes Advocacy
One of the most common pitfalls in technical communication is sliding, often unintentionally, from informing to advocating. Advocacy is rooted in consequential ethics: “If the outcome is good, the method is justified.”
That mindset leads to:
Selective data
Overly optimistic projections
Minimizing uncertainty
Visuals that simplify too much
Recommendations that sound predetermined
Advocacy has its place in sales, politics, and persuasion. It does not belong in a trusted advisor's toolbox.
Ethical communication requires resisting the temptation to steer the decision maker. Instead, it focuses on equipping them.
Duty‑Based Ethics: The Trusted Advisor’s Default
Duty‑based ethics emphasizes process over outcome. It asks:
Have I presented all relevant facts—positive and negative?
Have I disclosed uncertainty honestly?
Have I avoided manipulating the narrative?
Have I respected the decision maker’s authority?
Technical professionals rarely own final decisions. Their responsibility is clarity, not control.
A trusted advisor does not hide the hard parts. They surface them.
Three Practical Ways to Communicate Ethically
1. Fact‑Check Relentlessly
Fact‑checking is not a bureaucratic step. It is an ethical obligation.
No process guarantees perfect accuracy, but diligence signals respect for the decision maker and the organization.
Ask yourself:
What assumptions am I relying on?
What data sources have I not verified?
What could be misunderstood if I don’t clarify it?
Ethical communication begins with intellectual honesty.
2. Present the Tradeoffs
Every decision has winners, losers, risks, and consequences.
Ethical communicators do not hide tradeoffs—they highlight them. Remember, senior leaders do not fear tradeoffs. They fear surprises.
3. Disclose Uncertainty
Uncertainty is not a weakness. Concealing it is.
Ethical communication explains:
What is known
What is unknown
What assumptions bridge the gap
Decision makers can handle uncertainty. What they cannot handle is being blindsided by it later.
Ethics Is the Backbone of FINESSE
The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram® is built on the idea that communication is a system. Ethics is the stabilizing force that keeps that system honest. When technical professionals communicate ethically, they strengthen trust and improve decision quality.
Ethics is not just the second “E” in FINESSE. It is the way we make decisions. And the way we help others make decisions, too.
The elements of the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram® are Frame, Illustrate, Noise reduction, Empathy, Structure, Synergy, and Ethics.
JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment.
JD Solomon writes and consults on decision-making, reliability, risk, and communication for leaders and technical professionals. His work connects technical disciplines with human understanding to help people make better decisions and build stronger systems. Learn more at www.jdsolomonsolutions.com and www.communicatingwithfinesse.com
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