Introduction
A crucial component of public speaking and audience attraction is building credibility. The speaker’s ability to be viewed by the audience as qualified due to their knowledge and expertise is called credibility (Lucas & Stob, 2023). Because the speaker comes across as more reliable, it helps to pique the audience’s interest in the speech’s subject.
A clear demonstration of goodwill is also necessary to establish credibility (Lucas & Stob, 2023). The speaker must show that they behave in the audience’s best interest and wish to use their notoriety to benefit those listening. Credibility is crucial since it conveys to the audience that the speech is worthwhile and capable of providing insightful information.
How to Achieve Credibility
Declaring one’s subject-matter expertise is one approach to building credibility. As an illustration, the speaker can detail the study to prepare the speech. It is crucial to detail the credentials, experiences, research endeavors, and competencies associated with the speech’s subject (Lucas & Stob, 2023). The audience must know that the speaker took the time to consider the subject and carefully evaluate the available data.
Referencing personal experiences is another way to build credibility, and it works well for subjects about more commonplace circumstances (Lucas & Stob, 2023). The audience gains a certain level of first-hand knowledge from the speaker’s extensive sharing of experiences. It is crucial to establish a connection with the audience and persuade them to give the speech their full attention.
Conclusion
Since individuals prefer to filter the content they are interested in, credibility is often the foundation of public speaking. A speaker with extensive subject-matter experience, profound understanding, and knowledge can impart more insightful information than one with unclear credentials. Gaining credibility enables the speaker to demonstrate the caliber of the information and research on the subject matter covered in the speech. As a result, there is a greater possibility that the audience will become engaged in the speech and acquire new knowledge. This week’s lesson helped me to understand the significance of the concept and how to use various options to establish credibility.
Reference
Lucas, S. E. & Stob, P. (2023). The art of public speaking (14th ed.). McGraw Hill.