Learning Objectives
Discuss how to establish credibility in your persuasive speech.
If you are going to persuade an audience, you have to first get them to trust you and see you as a credible communicator. Being credible as a speaker means showing your audience you have their best interests at heart, that you are knowledgeable about the subject you are speaking about, and that the evidence you use to support your argument is trustworthy.
Establishing trust with the audience requires a combination of competence and character.
Communication scholar Stephen Lucas says that speaker credibility is affected most by two factors:
- Competence: How the audience views your intelligence, knowledge, and expertise on the subject you are speaking about.
- Character: How the audience views your concern for them, sincerity, and trustworthiness.
Lucas further advises that speakers do the following to establish their credibility:
- Explain to your audience why you are qualified to speak on the topic. Provide your own personal experience with your topic, if relevant. Demonstrate that you have done sufficient research on the topic to speak about it with authority.
- Establish common ground with your audience. Identify with your audience and show them how the case you are making is consistent with their values and beliefs.
- Deliver your speech fluently, expressively, and with confidence. If you speak with conviction and communicate you care about both your speech topic and your audience, you are more likely to be successful.[1]
A major part of coming across as a competent and credible speaker involves putting together a well-crafted speech with effective arguments in favor of your proposition.
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1.What is credibility? What two factors exert the most influence on an audience’sperception of a speaker’s credibility?
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2.What are the differences among initial credibility, derived credibility, and terminalcredibility?
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3.What are three ways you can enhance your credibility during your speeches?
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4.What is evidence? Why do persuasive speakers need to use evidence?
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Speaker credibility has its roots in Aristotle’s teachings over 2,000 years ago as he wrote about a speaker’s character, otherwise known as ethos. According to Aristotle, a speaker’s character was just as important as the content of their
speech. Ethos, as defined by Aristotle, resides in two areas: character and competence: Based on Aristotle’s concept of ethos, speaker credibility can be defined as “the extent to which the audience believes you and your
message.” In other words, speaker credibility comes from your audience, and is based on their perceptions of you. However, credibility is dynamic and can change during your presentation.Recently I worked with a client who posed an interesting question: “What could she do in to gain credibility with her audience?”
Now, you may be wondering if there are factors that can help boost and maintain your credibility with your audiences? The answer is yes! There are factors that can elevate and enhance your credibility:
- Competence. One can enhance the audience’s perception of your competence when you communicate your knowledge, experience, training, or background on the topic on which you are speaking. Some speakers come into their presentations with initial credibility based on their professional credentials, roles/job titles, collateral such as books, and/or well-known achievements. If you don’t have first-hand experience with your topic, citing evidence to support your point of view from recent credible research can demonstrate you are well-informed and enable you to gain your audience’s trust that you know what you are talking about.
- Trustworthiness. When you are speaking, do you have the audience’s best interest at heart? Or are you speaking in your own self-interest? Audiences can tell if you are genuinely interested in their wants and needs. Establishing common ground and demonstrating how your topic is aligned with your audience’s values and beliefs can develop trust between you and your audience members.
- Preparedness. One of the surest ways to build your credibility is through your confident and dynamic delivery of your presentation. Rehearse your material so that you can deliver with fluency and expressiveness. Even if you have initial credibility due to your role or credentials, you can lose credibility with your audience if your delivery fails to meet their expectations.
The biggest take-away here is that we don’t give ourselves credibility. Credibility is built by how much our audience trusts and believes us and our message.
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