Let’s talk about Persuasion and your credibility

When you set out to persuade a listener, or a group of listeners, to do something, to buy something or act a certain way — your success will be greatly enhanced if you establish your credibility before you start speaking.

Here are the four major aspects of credibility:

Trustworthiness — Listeners are more likely to be persuaded by someone they trust.

Similarity — Listeners are more likely to be persuaded by someone they can identify with.

Authority — Listeners are more likely to be persuaded by someone with high formal or moral authority.

Expertise or Reputation — Expertise is what you know about your topic. Reputation is what your listeners know about what you know about your topic. Listeners are more likely to be persuaded by someone with a high level of expertise in the topic.

So, the next time you set out to speak persuasively — establish your credibility first — then you can Speak Your Mind with confidence and clarity.

You can also watch this on video — if that’s your thing —