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GHUM 1025    

Speaking with Confidence

Speaker Credibility

What is speaker credibility?

it is not something a speaker has or does not have in any objective sense.
a speaker may be ignorant or immoral...but what is important is what audience believes-- the speaker has high credibility if audience believes.
Ingrid Bergman said, "It's not whether or not you really crying; it's whether the audience thinks you are crying."
Credibility is important in almost any profession: community workers, advocates, medical people, business people, actors, etc.

THREE QUALITIES OF CREDIBILITY

COMPETENCE - the knowledge and expertise the audience thinks/is told that the speaker possesses. 

CHARACTER - the intentions and concern of the speaker for the audience.  The speaker's humility and ability to make the audience identify with him/her.

CHARISMA - the personality, presence, and dynamism of the speaker.

CREDIBILITY AND CULTURE

what makes up credibility varies from culture to culture.
one culture may say competence is the most important factor in choosing a teacher... another culture may say morality, goodness or reputation...  another culture still may say that a teacher's presence and power is most important.

I. COMPETENCE

the knowledge and expertise that the speaker is thought to have.
the more knowledge one appears to have, the more believable one is...
competence is subject-specific
we often generalize in our assumptions...  we assume that if a person is competent in politics, the person is also competent in general-- this is called 'halo effect.'
however, there is also a reverse halo effect --if one is not competent in one field, we assume that he/she is not competent generally.
You must demonstrate your competence to an audience -- to be seen as an expert

METHODS of DEMONSTRATING COMPETENCE

  1. Tell listeners of your competence--tell of your experiences related to the topic... education/experience, etc.
  2. Cite a variety of research sources (credible sources)
  3. Stress the competencies of your sources--what have they done?
  4. Demonstrate Confidence--be comfortable, at ease--be familiar with visuals--what, when, how
  5. Avoid Apologizing--don't call attention to inadequacies

II. CHARACTER

we perceive a speaker credible if he/she is of high character--honesty --can we trust this person?

Ask what motives or intentions the person has-- Determine if a speaker's intentions are thought to be good...  caring...  thoughtful.

DEMONSTRATING CHARACTER

  1. Stress Similarity--emphasize the way you are similar to audience-- the more similar, the more credible.
  2. Stress Fairness--if you are doing a persuasive speech, stress that you have looked at both sides... don't omit parts of the other side of the argument, as the audience will bring them up.
  3. Demonstrate Long-term Consistency--we become leery of those who flit from side to side of a position... say how long you have believed in your point of view.
  4. Stress Concern for Audience--make your audience aware of your interest in them... don't be out for yourself...  care for your audience.
  5. Stress Concern for Enduring Values-- demonstrate concern for lasting truths and general principles...  your beliefs are related to higher order values.

III. CHARISMA

a combination of the speaker's personality, presence, and dynamism, as seen by the audience
you are perceived as credible if you are liked, friendly, and pleasant.
you are perceived as credible if you are powerful, certain, and assertive.
we prefer a dynamic speaker vs. a hesitant one.
shy may be perceived as hiding something or being unsure-- we think that a shy speaker doesn't believe in herself

HOW TO DEMONSTRATE CHARISMA

  1. Demonstrate a Positive Outlook--stress your pleasure in speaking.
  2. Act Assertively--stand up for what you believe in, and show it in your voice and body language.
  3. Demonstrate Enthusiasm--be absorbed in speech... learn all you can about your subject... ask yourself how it is related to you.
  4. Be Emphatic--use emphatic vs. colourless language...use clear gestures.
  5. Practice your posture, your walking & motion, and your gestures, in front of a mirror.

 

PLEASE NOTE:

Information on this site is authorized for use only by the students of this course. Students have permission to copy any of the content. For copyright information of the linked sites please see the respective authors.

copyright 2000 Karen E. Hamilton and Reeves Medaglia-Miller

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