How to Build Credibility While Giving a Speech
Posted in Communication Tuesday
You’ve signed on to be a conference presenter in your area of expertise. Eighty-four participants have looked at the blurb in the conference brochure and decided they’re interested in your subject matter.
They don’t know too much about you, but the blurb has brought them through the door. How do you hang on to their attention and communicate your credibility as an authority in the subject?
There are three things that are going to communicate credibility to the audience:
- Your enthusiasm in communicating (visual).
- Your confidence in presenting the material (vocal).
- Your research and own ideas (verbal).
Delivery is tied to credibility. A study by Dr. Albert Mehrabian, and published in his book Silent Messages
- The verbal (words you say) is believed 7% of the time,
- the vocal (how you sound when you say them) is believed 38% of the time, and
- the visual (how you look when you say them) is believed 55% of the time.
It doesn’t matter how much expertise you have, if your communication style is bland and flat, your audience is not going to find you credible. You have to think of yourself as a performer. Your energy and intensity will influence your audience—and help them reach the learning objectives you have set.
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The article was good i.e. three basic steps mentioned i.e. Verbal, vocal and visual. I want to improve my communication in terms of these areas, appreciate I could have some more hints on improving the visual and vocal skills.