Defining Credibility

Defining Credibility

What is credibility? Credibility is defined as the objective and subjective components of the believability of a source or message. Credibility is both objective, or based on facts and evidence, and subjective, based on opinions and feelings. This quality encompasses everything from your college degree or professional certification to the immediate "gut feeling" people get when they walk into the room.

Subjective Credibility: Self-Presentation

The subjective aspect of a public speaker's credibility is based on the speaker's self-presentation. Here are some tips for earning credibility on a subjective level:

1. Dress the part. Show the audience that you take the speaking engagement seriously, and that you hope to earn their respect. If you're not sure how to dress, professional attire is always a safe bet.
2. Look at the audience. Establishing eye contact will make you seem open and trustworthy.
3. Speak loudly, clearly, and confidently. If you have confidence in yourself, the audience will too.

Objective Credibility: Expertise

Mark Twain once said that an expert is just "an ordinary fellow from another town." If only it were that easy! In reality, if you want to convince the audience that you are an expert, you will have to show some credentials. Here are three ways to establish objective credibility:

1. State your credentials. Audiences will trust you more readily if you can prove that other people value your expertise. Credentials include relevant degrees, certifications, testimonials, recommendations, work experience, volunteer experience, and informally, other types of personal experience.
2. Reveal a personal connection to your topic. Your input will have more weight if you can demonstrate that the topic means something to you.
3. Establish common ground with your audience. If you can explain that, ultimately, you all want the same thing, the audience will be much more likely to trust you and accept your message.