Page 316 - Essentials of Human Communication

Supporting Materials 295

Testament will be ascribed very different levels of credibility depending on the religious be-
liefs of the audience. And this will be true even when all three books say essentially the same
thing.
Before reading any more about the ways to establish your credibility, you may wish
to take the self-test “How Credible Are You?”

test yourself

how Credible are you?

Respond to each of the following phrases to indicate how you think members of your class see you when you
deliver a speech. Use the following scale:

5 = definitely true; 4 = probably true; 3 = neither true nor untrue; 2 = probably untrue; and 1 = definitely untrue
The audience/class generally sees me as someone who is:
_____ ➊ knowledgeable

_____ ➋ a thorough researcher
_____ ➌ informed about the subject matter
_____ ➍ fair in the presentation of material (i.e., evidence and argument)
_____ ➎ concerned with the audience’s needs
_____ ➏ honest; unlikely to bend the truth

_____ ➐ assertive in personal style
_____ ➑ enthusiastic about the topic and in general
_____ ➒ active rather than passive
“I’ve never actually stormed a castle, but I’ve taken a bunch of
hOw did YOu dO? This test focuses on the three qualities of credibility—competence, siege-management courses.”
character, and charisma—and is based on a large body of research (see McCroskey, 2006; @ Danny Shanahan/Condé Nast Publication/www.cartoonbank.com
Riggio, 1987). Items 1 to 3 refer to perceived competence: How capable do you seem
to the audience? Items 4 to 6 refer to character: Does the audience see you as a good and moral person? Items 7
to 9 refer to charisma: Does the audience see you as dynamic and active? Total scores will range from a high of 45
to a low of 9. If you scored relatively high (around 32 or higher), then you feel your audience sees you as credible. If
you scored relatively low (below 27), then you feel your audience sees you as lacking in credibility.

whAT will YOu dO? Think about how you might go about increasing your credibility. What specific steps
can you take to change undesirable audience perceptions of your credibility? As you read the discussion that
follows, consider how you might strengthen your competence, character, and/or charisma.

Communication
Competence To demonstrate your competence, show your listeners that you are Choice Point
knowledgeable and thoroughly familiar with your topic. The more knowledge and ex- establishing Credibility
pertise the audience attributes to you, the more likely the audience will believe you, You’re planning a speech
just as you are more likely to believe a teacher or doctor if you think he or she is against free agency in professional sports.
knowledgeable about the subject at hand. The problem is that you’re a woman and you
One way to demonstrate your competence is simply to tell listeners about it. Let suspect that the men in your audience will
the audience know of any special experience or training that qualifies you to speak not perceive you as credible, despite your
on your topic. Another way is to cite a variety of research sources. Make it clear to knowing more about professional sports than
your audience that you’ve thoroughly researched your topic. Do this by mentioning any other person in the room. What are some
some of the books you’ve read, the people you’ve interviewed, and/or the articles options you have to establishing your credibil-
you’ve consulted. ity? What are some of the things you might say?