Why is it important to establish your credibility when communicating with an audience of strangers

Recently I worked with a client who posed an interesting question: “What could she do in to gain credibility with her audience?”

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:

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Recently I worked with a client who posed an interesting question: “What could she do in to gain credibility with her audience?”
Why is credibility important in communication?
Why is it important to establish credibility?
When should you establish your credibility to your audience?

A speaker’s character is related to a speaker’s perceived honesty, sincerity, and concern for the audience’s well-being.
A speaker’s competence is related to a speaker’s knowledge, experience, and preparedness.

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.

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.

Business is constantly evolving. As a business owner or leader, it can be hard to keep up with the mountains of work you have to do, while still making sure you are staying up to date with your audience and listening and responding to their needs.

Building credibility is an essential component of keeping clients. Where there is trust, there is a growing and sustainable relationship. Hiring public relations professionals is a natural solution if you find yourself often communicating with businesses, the government, or the public on a regular basis.

When you establish credibility, your clients, customers, and peers respect you, vouch for you, and continue to use your business because they feel connected to what you say, do, and stand for.

But how does one establish credibility?

Demonstrate integrity

Often, this comes in the form of transparency. Be honest about how you run your company, create your products, and treat those around you. This may be hard to articulate or demonstrate. At Aguilar PR, we often help clients demonstrate integrity by helping them prepare for situations before they occur, and also help them find opportunities online, in print, and in their communities that show the values of the company. This is often done through media relations, public affairs and outreach, philanthropy, and even trade shows.

Be consistent

Just showing up once for a press conference or public event, and then disappearing doesn’t work. Like any relationship, you have to consistently be there for people. In everything you do, you need to incorporate the values that you are exhibiting. This requires a brand strategy. At Aguilar PR we can help you define your brand and use your brand identity and strategy consistently in media relations to boost your credibility.

Brag a little.

It’s okay to brag a little. You are an expert in your field, and you need to own that. At Aguilar PR, we can help you identify your strengths and unique capabilities through brand strategy and marketing. After defining those qualities, we can help you push those out through all sectors of your business, helping you gain respect as a thought leader and innovator in your field.

Why is credibility important in communication?

Audiences want to see a trustworthy, honest speaker and will identify with them more than individuals they perceive as morally corrupt. Goodwill. Treating the audience the way they would like to be treated is crucial to building credibility.

Why is it important to establish credibility?

When you establish credibility, your clients, customers, and peers respect you, vouch for you, and continue to use your business because they feel connected to what you say, do, and stand for.

When should you establish your credibility to your audience?

Credibility in a speech is simply the level of trust an audience is willing to put in the information presented in a speech. When giving a speech on any topic it is important to start with a credibility statement to establish credibility.