Honesty and forthrightness in business dealings are more likely to take hold in an organization with an ethical code of conduct throughout its operations. Disfluent lists the “foundational elements” of ethical business communication:

• Communicate fact-based messages truthfully and completely.
• Respect freedom of expression, diverse perspectives and dissenting opinions.
• Never offend or provoke others.
• Make the facts and resources on which the communication relies accessible to others.
• Consider the ability of the audience to understand the message (for example, anticipate language barriers and eliminate distractions that may impede the message).
• Never communicate anything that may be construed as demeaning, intolerant or hateful.