Establish Your Credibility For Better Public Relations

I had a college professor one semester that was so captivating inhis lectures that I was hesitant to leave when the class wasover. I probably would have been content to sit there and listento him spout off about anything as long as he kept talking. Hewas interesting, yes, but even if he had stated that cats couldtalk and buildings could walk, I probably would have believed himsolely based on how much I trusted and respected his knowledge.There are many aspects of public speaking that should be takeninto account when incorporating speeches and presentations intoa public relations campaign. One of the first ones that should beconsidered, though, is the issue of credibility.What is credibility? Well, it incorporates a lot of things, butthe main point to remember is that when you are credible, peopleare more inclined to trust you and believe that you are areliable source of information.So how do you go about building your credibility? Well, let'stake a closer look at what defines credibility.Competence: If you stand up in front of an audience and decide totalk about Darwinian logic without any sort of conception of whoDarwin even was, your audience probably isn't going to believethat you have the authority to be speaking on such a subject.However, if you list your information sources in yourpresentation along with a quote or visual aid, your audience willknow that you did your research, and that you know your stuff.Other ways to show your competence is to let the audience knowabout your educational or professional background. You don't haveto sound like you're putting on airs here, because the simpletruth is that the more work you've done in a specific area, themore you will know about the topic.Confidence: Looking like you are nervous and uncomfortabledoesn't say much for your knowledge. It doesn't matter if youspent twenty five years living with gorillas, people aren't goingto have nearly as much respect for your points about primatecommunication if you don't look like you have any self-assurance.Delivery packs just as much of a punch as a thorough intellect,as long as you remember that you need both to give a greatpresentation.Character: Character is a little trickier, because it's basedmore on a values system than on how much you know aboutsomething. If you've researched your audience's demographicsbeforehand, you will have more of an idea what sort of issuesthey will or will not respond to. Even if you are presentingsomething that is the antithesis of everything they stand for,you can still find ways to word your arguments so that you willappear credible and non threatening.Rapport: Ah, rapport. Common experiences and interests are whathelp us as humans relate to each other. If your audience knowsyou share similar feelings with them, they will be more likely torespond to your message in a positive way.As a society, the majority of individuals tend to hold a prettysimilar system of values that you can use to help you build yourown credibility. Social and community values seek to attain suchideals as peace, freedom, respect, family security, and living acomfortable life. Personal values for the individual show thatmost people wish to be ambitious, forgiving, responsible, andhonest. By demonstrating that you stand for similar ideals asyour audience, you help maintain a component of trust.Once your audience has a built a foundation of trust and respect,your message will seep in a lot more easily than if you havelittle or no credibility. Keep in mind that you can't cruisethrough a presentation on credibility alone, but it will certainly help your case by leaps and bounds