- Today we are talking about your credibility
when public speaking and how that determines
whether or not people believe you and take you seriously.
So let's look at six ways that you can establish
your credibility in your next presentation.
(bright music)
Hey there, Alex Lyon here.
Everything on this channel is here
for your professional development,
especially your professional development as a leader,
and public speaking is a huge part of that,
so let's look at six ways that you can come across
as a more credible speaker, and I would like to know
in that comment section below the video,
which one do you think would help you the most?
So number one.
Your expertise.
You want to communicate your credentials,
your education, your job title.
Now I'm not saying that you should use the word expert
to describe yourself.
That's a big word and I don't think
you should be the one saying it,
but you should include information that helps establish
that you are qualified to speak on the particular subject
you're speaking about,
and you could weave your background into the introduction
of your remarks to help people get to know you,
and if somebody's introducing you,
then I always think it's a great idea
to give them a card or some bullet points
so they can talk a little bit about your background,
and in that way help you build up your credibility a bit,
and please, when you're talking about your credentials,
never stretch the truth.
Don't exaggerate or spin your qualifications
to make yourself sound better than you are.
That whole idea of fake it 'til you make it.
That's not applying to your expertise.
In fact, if you're not an expert
or at least a specialist or an authority on a topic,
then you definitely don't want to say you are
because it will crush your credibility,
people will see right through it,
but you should mention some highlights from your background
so that people know that you are
qualified to speak on that topic,
and another clear sign of your expertise
is the solid research and evidence and supporting materials
that you'll use in your presentation,
so you want to use
high quality sources and then cite your sources clearly
because if you share good, quality evidence,
then you will build your credibility
as a speaker on that topic.
Number two is your experience.
Share a little bit about your personal
and professional experience on that topic.
Now education and job title are one thing,
like we mentioned,
but I'm not talking about that,
I'm talking about on-the-job, life experience.
The results that you have gotten.
You want to be a living example of your message
as much as possible, so if you're talking about dog training
in your presentation,
then talk about your actual experience training dogs
or at least training your own dog.
You want to give people that result.
If you're talking about diet and nutrition,
then share about your real-world experience losing 40 pounds
by changing your diet and nutrition.
It's hard to argue with results, with real life experience,
it really builds your credibility more than any other way.
Number three is your composure and your confidence.
So work on coming across as confident and composed.
So, first of all, how you dress matters.
Appearance matters a little bit.
It's not the most important thing,
but you want to dress the part.
You want to be at least as well dressed as your audience
or slightly higher, that's the rule of thumb.
So standing and presenting in front of a live audience
is still a bit of a special event these days,
and you want to communicate that by the way you dress.
You also want to express your message
with a balance of passion about your subject,
but also a quiet and comfortable confidence in yourself,
so you're excited about the ideas,
but you are comfortable with who you are.
So what does that composure and confidence look like?
Well, you want to speak two times the volume
of your normal speaking voice.
That outdoor voice shows confidence.
Number two.
Stand tall with good posture.
Number three.
Use natural gestures to emphasize your ideas.
Number four.
Make direct eye contact.
Those are the top four.
Now you may not feel particularly confident and composed,
but if you practice this way beforehand,
you'll at least look and sound more confident and composed
when you deliver your message.
Number four.
You want to demonstrate your competence as a speaker.
So this is related to delivery, like we just mentioned,
but this is more about your message.
You don't want to be searching for words
when you're speaking.
Your message should be prepared and well practiced.
So behind the scenes, beforehand, you want to get to a place
where your key idea and your main points are really clear
and organized and easy to follow,
and in my experience, most of these improvements
get worked out when you're practicing and revising,
you don't want to just wing it.
A lot of people do this and it doesn't work.
Create an outline.
Practice it out loud, in private.
Make revisions and repeat this process
until you have that clear, concise sound,
so you're not searching for words
and trying to figure out where you're headed next.
This behind the scenes preparation
will help you come across as much more credible
when you actually stand to deliver your message.
Number five.
Be likable.
Let people get to know you.
That's the easiest way.
Be a relatable person.
Don't hide behind your job title and only present yourself
as a 100% professional person, like a robot.
People today love authenticity,
so if you're normally a humorous person,
weave a little humor into your presentation.
If you have some hobbies that relate,
talk a little bit about your hobbies,
weave that in.
Let who you are come through and that will make people
like you and that will build your credibility,
and number six.
You want to show your goodwill.
Show that you care about your audience.
Everything you do, do it for the benefit of the audience,
so get your heart in the right place.
Don't speak to get applause.
Don't speak to get something.
Speak to share what you know for their benefit.
Use your communication, in other words, to be a giver.
Speak to add value to the listeners lives
because you care about people,
and here's the trick, here's how it helps your credibility.
When your audience sees that you are on their side,
they will get on your side,
and so that will really help boost your credibility.
So question of the day.
Which of these tips on your credibility help you the most?
I would love to hear your comments
in the section below the video,
and I want to mention a free PDF resource
that I have created for you.
It's on Speaking Tips That Will Instantly Make You
A More Confident Speaker
and I'll put a link to that
in the description below the video,
so feel free to check that out.
So thanks, God Bless and I will see you soon.