Credibility is a building block for many communication goals, such as persuading, educating, and informing others. Whether you are pitching to a VC, working to develop new partnerships, or convincing a patient to listen to your medical advice, establishing and strengthening your credibility lays a strong foundation to help you reach your communication goals.
In a previous blog, I explained how to boost your credibility through the content you deliver. A second way to boost your credibility is with your delivery of that content. You can demonstrate the elements of credibility: your expertise, trustworthiness, and goodwill, simply by the way that you speak, move, and gesture.
First, delivering with confidence will show your expertise. Speaking with the confidence you have rightfully earned as an expert in your subject will go a long way toward being viewed as a credible source. For example, learning to manage the nerves that lead to a shaky voice can make all the difference in sounding confident. One of the most important things I do with clients is to watch them speak and identify elements of their delivery that we can strengthen together.
Second, speaking comfortably and confidently in front of others shows that you are trustworthy. Recently, I saw a new dermatologist and although he seemed to know his stuff about skin, he also seemed nervous talking to me. If I had been coaching him, I would suggest he practice making eye contact. Appearing nervous can take away from a speaker’s trustworthiness.
Third, goodwill can be shown in delivery by employing the proper tone, showing your passion for the subject, and nonverbally demonstrating care for the listeners. If you are a financial planner, you need to choose when to take a serious tone. For many people, money is a serious topic, so ensuring that your passion for this topic takes on a serious tone will establish that you have goodwill toward the listeners.
There are many ways to build credibility. Consider how you can demonstrate expertise, trustworthiness, and goodwill in the way you speak and move. If you aren’t sure what elements of your delivery need to be changed or improved, a communication coach makes an excellent partner in identifying and strengthening how you come across to listeners.
