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Brendan
I am a professional educator by trade, but by my definition, I am much more than that. I wear many hats; including, but not limited to, Father, Husband, Son, Step-Father, Ex-Husband, Entrepreneur, Public Speaker, Super Geek (love technology), Trainer, Coach, Student, Writer, Dreamer, and Leader. For fun I am an avid golfer and consider myself a blessed individual because I have the greatest wife in the world that loves to golf with me.
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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Lesson 8 Developing Supporting Material for Your Speech

In this lesson you are going to learn how to use different types of supporting material to give your speech credibility. Not all speeches need researched data and statistics, but all speeches need to be credible. 


Dictionary.com defines credible as:

  1. capable of being believed; believable: a credible statement.
  2. worthy of belief or confidence; trustworthy: a credible witness.

Synonyms of credible include: plausible, likely, reasonable, and tenable


Important!!! If you are not a credible person yourself, it doesn't matter what you say or do, you won't be believed. Credibility of any speech begins with YOU!!!!


With that being said, let's look at the next area of making your speech credible.


Use different types of supporting material.


Even if you are an expert in an area, your speech will be better received if you use a variety of supporting material. 


14 Clubs and some luck
To help illustrate this point, let's look at the greatest game ever invented…Golf. The rules of golf say that the maximum number of clubs one can carry in their bag is 14. If you follow golf, you will notice that pros do not always carry the same clubs to each tournament, but they almost always carry 14 clubs. They know that each course plays different, and different clubs will serve different purposes. A pro will not be a pro for long if they do not adjust their equipment to the courses they are playing, and there will NEVER be a pro who only carries around a putter only.


This same approach applies to giving a great speech. Different material is needed for different speeches, but not always the same material will be used. Most importantly, you will always need more than one item of supporting material to be successful.


Before discussing the types of supporting material, make sure when you use supporting material that you cite the resource in your speech. Citing a credible resource in your speech actually makes you the presenter more credible.


Let me give you a personal example of how this works. Recently I was the Master of Ceremonies for an event where a well known United States Senator was the guest speaker. My wife and I also had the privilege of sitting with the Senator and his wife at the head table. We had an enjoyable evening together discussing politics and life in general. There were many other guests in attendance and many of them saw me "mingle" with the Senator. At the end of the evening, my wife and I had our pictures taken with the him. Later these pictures found there way on Facebook for many more to see. I instantly gained credibility with many associates because of my brief association with this man. This may seem like a "superficial" credibility to you, but the fact is, perception of credibility is still a form of credibility (in fact, I would say it's the only form of credibility).


Using the "good name" of others will help you become more credible. If you fail to let the audience know that you were using material from someone/somewhere else, you will lose your credibility. 


Lost credibility can be difficult to regain.


Types of supporting material


When using credible sources for your material, it is going to take some common sense. For some this may be a difficult task and you will need to rely on the help of well respected, educated persons. You need to realize that quoting from an article in the National Inquirer is not the same as quoting from an article in Forbes magazine.


NOTE!!! Unfortunately, Wikipedia does not count as a credible source of information in the world of academia. The reason is, Wikipedia is open source and anyone is free to go in and change/add information. I often use Wikipedia as a starting point in my research because most of the information there is cited. I just go to the cited material and make sure it's credible.


Choose the best supporting material


So what's the best supporting material? That depends on the type of speech you are giving and what your audience needs. Going back to my golf analogy, you pick the right club based on the shot. I know that if I am sitting 150 yards out from the green, I am going to use a 9-iron.


If you are giving a speech on the importance of education, you will need to use research from credible education journals, statistics, and maybe even a testimony or two.


Here are 5 types of supporting material and their purpose.


Examples. Examples are used to illustrate, describe, or represents things. Examples can be real or hypothetical. You will often hear it said as "For example….". Using examples helps by making ideas, items, or events more concrete and it helps to create interest.


Story. Stories can be personal, fictional, imaginary, about somebody else, etc. It's a story, but make sure you let your audience know it's a story and if it's imaginary, make sure the audience knows it's imaginary. If you don't, it's not a story, IT'S A LIE! Stories help to personalize and a speech and can allow a "dry" topic to become humorous. A story can generate interest and make your speech relatable.


Testimony. A testimony is a first-hand or eye-witness account of something that has happened. It can also be the opinion of someone. Testimonies can come from "experts" or from just an ordinary "nonexpert" person. Based on what your speech needs will determine what kind of testimony you want. Someone who has lost weight following your instructions does not have to be an expert in losing weight. On the other hand, if you are giving a speech on the benefits of a new weight loss drug, a doctor would be a more credible resource for a testimony.


Facts. Facts are actual events, dates, times, places that are documented and can be independently verified. Facts are great for providing evidence and backing up the main points of an argument.


Statistics. There is an old saying that goes, "Liars use statistics." The truth is, any information can be skewed, that's why it's important to use a variety of sources, especially if the information your are providing is considered controversial. Statistics are data that demonstrate relationships.


WARNING!!! There can be a tendency to "skew" supporting material data in a way that really does not portray what the data was intended for. A "half-truth" is also a "half-lie."


Lastly, not everyone is going to believe the sources you use for supporting material, and rightly so. There is a lot of information out there that is not credible. You may need to convince your listeners that material you are using is reliable and credible. As stated earlier, make sure you cite you resources orally and MAKE SURE YOU USE THE NAME OF THE REFERENCE MATERIAL IT CAME FROM. This may not be enough though so you will need to build up the referring source by describing why it's a credible source. This may take some research on your part. Find out how long the "source" has been around and who has been involved with the referring source (maybe it's a journal that has had famous scientists contribute to it). Just ask yourself WHY this is a credible source, and then go answer the question.


Questions

  1. Credibility in public speaking often comes from exposure to public speaking opportunities. How can you increase your credibility in public speaking?
  2. Click on 2 or 3 of the advertisements on this blog. Which companies appear credible and why? (This is a personal perception based question, but see if there are items that make the web site credible)

47 comments:

NielsenPorter said...

Credibility comes from perception more than anything else. And as a public speaker it's important to appear in every way; voice, diction, manner, dress, etc, as though you know what you're talking about. The audience, the majority of the time, wants to believe the speaker. Many people lack the cognitive ability and critical thinking skills to really dissect a topic and come to a firm opinion on the matter. That's why the media, and specifically people like Keith Oberman, Glen Beck, Ann Coulter, etc are so popular. Because they tell other people what to believe and how to feel about certain subjects, saving these individuals from the arduous task of forming opinions based on fact. But just because people tend to want to believe what a public speaker has to say, does not mean that these people will always believe it. As a public speaker, if we want to persuade our audience to believe something, or do something, or feel something, they have to first see us as credible. And since credibility comes from confidence, and confidence comes from experience, I think it best to start out small. As a beginning public speaker wanted to get better and increase my credibility, it's important that I stay away from highly controversial topics, speak to smaller audiences, and play to my current strengths. By so doing, I can gain more credibility with each speech, and work my way up to the big leagues.

Dana Raine said...

I clicked on the “Pell Grants for Mothers” link. The website seems to be fairly credible. They use terminology that makes them sound like they could be associated with government programs such as “Pell grant” and “FAFSA.” At the section that asks to you enter in personal information; there is the “VeriSign trusted” logo, which leads me to believe that the site will not leak any of my information. This website also uses the term “accredited” when they describe the schools they work with. That is a big factor in me determining that they could be reputable. At the bottom of the website, is a “contact us” link. That helps me to trust them; in that if I have a problem, there is someone I can contact to resolve an issue. Another link I clicked on was the “elearners.com” website. They use the actual logos of the schools that are on their website. That brings a lot of credibility to them, because I assume they were given permission to use the logos. There is also a disclaimer at the bottom of their website. This is a way for them to be honest about the services that they do and do not provide. Also, this websites contains testimonials and pictures of former students. These are all factors that lead me to think that these are credible websites.

Holly Marie said...

in answer to question one, obviously if you are well known around the area for giving speeches and representing various things, your credibility will be raised.Examples of this would include a student body president at a school or college, a media representative, a local counselor, and any political figures (sometimes). But of course, there are some of us who aren't well known and maybe haven't given a lot of speeches, if any. If this is the case, one of the things you can do is sneak in examples of any previous talks or speeches you have done, you have to be smart about this however! Don't just brag about how well you did or who told you good job; rather bring it in as an example that can tie into your topic. Such as, "last year I spoke at a convention for breast cancer awareness and one of the audience members stood up and started yelling at me for something she thought I had said.." This would be a good example if your topic was on listening or speaking clearly or even on sexism. Not only does this make you look more credible as a speaker but it also gave a personal story. Other things are obviously using well known sources and straight quotes.

Jeff Worthington said...

I would like to respond to question #1: I think as this question states the more credible public speaking opportunities that I am exposed too the more credible my speaches will become. The main reasons that I believe this when you can reference another person's work especially when that person has some pretty good credientials it becomes pretty probable that what that person is saying has some truth to it. When you can incorporate that into your own speach I think it will also help your speach to seem more credible and believable. Also I think a big part of making our speaches credible is based off of our own personal integrity or making sure that our actions back up our words. I think that there are plenty of politicians example of giving a good speach promising the moon, but all their actions preceeding that speach don't back up their promises. I think this takes away a lot of their credibility.

Penelope Davis said...

Credibility in public speaking comes with being prepared for every speech given. The best way to increase your credibility is to start out small and work your way up to bigger, more important speeches. Every time you are asked to give a speech, take it seriously and make sure you know exactly what you are suppose to be talking on, who’s your audience, and make sure to practice, practice, practice, so you feel more confident and comfortable with your speech and about your topic. Also, making sure all the resources you used are credible. Having credible sources betters your credibility. As it was mentioned in the text above, also having those connections or being seen with someone else who has much credibility, will also better your own credibility. When you give a speech, you usually do not want to just brush the topic, you want to dig deep and give lots of supporting detail. This will help build your credibility, and not only that, but it will keep your audience more interested in what you have to say because you actually talk more about a certain topic than just hitting the points that everyone hears about all the time anyway.

Cindy Rueckert said...

How can you increase your credibility in public speaking?

It is interesting to think about how fast a reputation is formed. That is why making a really good first impression is important - even critical in public speaking. People talk about other people. Word spreads. This may sound outrageously obvious, but I think the number one way someone builds credibility is by doing a good job - especially in the beginning. You have to build a reputation if you want to be credible. You have to be good at what you do and convince people to believe what you say if you want them to take you seriously.

So how do you do this? Like Porter said, you stay away from controversial subjects, particularly in the beginning. Seek to recognize your strengths, and magnify them. Analyze your weaknesses, then strive to eliminate them. Surround yourself with other good speakers. And, perhaps most importantly, take advantage of opportunities to speak! You are never going to improve or build credibility as a public speaker if you don't do it! So look for occasion to orate, then don't turn them down!

Kati Mason said...

I think that credibility does come from experience, when you have more experience you will know how to prepare for each speech. Like with my first impromptu speech, I spoke on fashion, I knew a little bit, just from what I wear and what I was taught. But if I knew what I was going to talk about, I could go and research when it first began, the different types of fashion, the biggest fashion industry. But now when I have more experience, I am going to know how to really prepare for it, and get the credibility that I really want. Also I think that it's the kind of speeches you do, like the controversial speeches you really want to stay away from, unless you really have two points of views, not just your own, because then you are looking at it in more than one way, and the audience won't look down on you as much.

Machi Johnson said...

Question 1
How can you increase your credibility as a speaker? Well, in class one day we discussed how everything you learn can always be applied to life in general. So when you ask how a speaker can become more credible, to me it's like asking how can any person in general become more trusted or reliable. Fist of all, you need to be honest. People are willing to trust you if you are honest. (In public speaking if you are always open about where your information comes from then thats a first step to becoming credible). Never lie. Once you are caught in a lie it's more difficult to build yourself up from that one instance then giving a thousand truths. So always be honest. Next, Always be respectful. We all have different opinions but respect is about disagreeing but respecting the other view. If a speaker is head strong about their own topic (or a normal person in everyday life) but refuses to listen to the other side, or slanders it, then people don't want to hear what they have to say. I guess where I am going with my response is that to build credibility, a speaker must have good values in which they must be true to. And if they already practice those values in their everyday life, they're already a step ahead.

Rebeca Deering said...

Increasing your credibility doesn’t only come from citing your information during a speech, although this is very important to do, but it also comes from a few other tactics. The way you look is an important one, sorry to sound judgmentally but it’s true. When you look at someone and see there jeans half way down there legs you wont be able to take him or her seriously. Your first impression is key and you want to set that standard high for yourself. Another way to build credibility is to never talk about someone behind there back. It sounds like what your mom told you when you were younger but this is also true. You make yourself look like doodoo (sorry that’s the only word I can think of) but by doing that your credibility that others have for you slowly goes down. Also, being an out going and friendly person can get you connected with higher credible people.

Sam Friend said...

Having credibility means to be trusted or believed in. In public speaking, having credibility with the audience is imperative. With an audience that doesn't believe the speaker, there is no point in the speech. Every word that comes out of the speaker's mouth is not believed or trusted. Having that said, gaining credibility with an audience can be achieved in many ways. A proper appearance is once of the biggest factors in gaining credibility. As much as it may seem wrong to judge someone by their looks, a well groomed, sharp look gains more credibility. Along with a sharp look, using appropriate language is another important point. Curse words or inappropriate language simply puts negative thoughts in most formal settings. It's unprofessional and can come off as offensive in some situations. Overall, credibility can be achieved using these simple rules. As long as a speaker has credibility their point may be believed and trusted a lot easier.

Cody Ketcher said...

1.Credibility in public speaking often comes from exposure to public speaking opportunities. How can you increase your credibility in public speaking?
For me credibility can make or ruin the speech. If someone is talking infront of a crowd and rattling off facts about this or facts about that....but doesnt mention where he got the research from or wont name his sources then its hard to see them as credible. But if they did the proper research or named the proper sources it would help sway me and hold my attention through the whole speech. Credibilty is just about knowing your facts...it starts with your attitiude. Like what Mr Dalley said in his class about hearing some guys walking close behind him using the "F" word. To me that word brings down anyones crediblity no matter how they use it. Credibilty is whith your attitude as well. Being positive, showing confidence will only help the credibilty shine through i believe. If you want to succeed in public speaking, having credibilty will go a long way.

Nick Marinko said...

Question 1
I believe that a lot of credibility has to deal with the person in general. Having credibility is not only having to do with presentation(which is a huge factor as well) but with the person in general. By being a good person you will give off good vibes in my opinion and the audience will pick up on that. By also presenting yourself in a good way, that will give you more credit than if you were to wear sweats and a t shirt. Another way is to be comfortable speaking in front of people. By being comfortable in front of people it will help you look more credible, which can only be accomplished with practice. Another way is tobe knowledgeable on your subject. By knowing what your talking about will help you seem a lot more credible and being able to answer any questions that people have for you on the subject.

katie bybee said...

I think that putting yourself out there is the only way to increase your credibility and public speaking skills. If you are wanting to increase your credibility you need to take any speaking opportunity. Whether it is a small or large event, experience is experience. Everyone has to start somewhere. To become credible you need to also use the five tips discussed above. Using examples is important. It proves your point that you are trying to make. Stories are always my favorite! When I’m in the audience it’s the one thing that actually draws me in and gets my attention. Using testimonies, facts, and statistics are also very important. But each of these tools need to be used in the correct way. If you are not being honest while using these tools, they are then counterproductive. Most important rule is to never lie. Always use credible sources and this will make you a credible speaker!

Catharine Carter said...

For example, when you were the Master of Ceremonies for that event and you met Senator Hatch, you said this built your credibility just because of your brief association with him. It's like clout. It's all about who you know. I'm not sure if you'd be able to call upon him for a favor if you needed one, but just having met them, you rose your credibility and your clout. Me, being an actress, or having been an actress, it's a business where all you are is who you know. I don't know Kevin Bacon or anything, but whenever I've met a celebrity or even been near a celebrity, it's always broadened my horizons and I've been able to use it when I've been speaking with others. I was on Touched by an Angel when I was in high school and not only did I meet Roma Downey and John Dye, I also met Greg Ostertag, most known around here for playing center for the Utah Jazz. Side note, I've never met anyone so tall in my entire life. He stands at 7'2” tall! Anyway, back to point. I can't call upon any of them when I want to, but just having met them, when it comes to people who know about the show or are a fan of the Utah Jazz, especially back then when Ostertag was playing, it gives us something to talk about.

mckena said...

When it comes to the world wide web it makes it easy to access information with the click of a mouse. However, just because it’s so easily attainable does not make it automatically creditable. Anyone can post anything they want! Therefore you have to be really careful the sources you choose to use. Make sure they are true and accurate sources. I looked at the 2 sites from the article to determine which ones looked accurate to me. The first on I looked at was dictionary.com. I think this website is very accurate because the information is right from a written book. It is from multiple dictionaries written by creditable authors and just put on a website. Definitions for words are always going to be the same. A dog is always a dog. The second website was Wikipedia. At first it looks creditable. It looks like an encyclopedia. It is not a very creditable because anyone can edit the information on it. Although everyone thinks they are smart, they are very opinionated and not accurate. This makes Wikipedia not a very accurate website. Choosing your sources is so important.

Katie Greener said...

A public speaker is someone that can talk well in front of others. A great public speaker is someone who is creditable. I don't want to listen to someone try to persuade me into quitting drugs (just an example) if they haven't done it themselves. Anyone can have an opinion about something, but unless you've physically experienced it, then what you say is no more than just an opinion and it's going to be hard to get an audiences attention. People like stories, personal stories. Something that you can get in detail to, make them feel like they were there. And the only way you can do that is if YOU did it. Speak about what you know, not just what you've heard. I CAN'T STAND when someone goes on a rant about something and come to find out it's just their opinion from what they've "heard". If you're a public speaker you better talk about something that you personally know, otherwise you're credibility will go way down and no one will take you as more than just a really good story teller.

Chijindu Ubani said...

How you can increase your credibility in public speaking in a lot of ways is to be a very vocal and quick witted, along with the shear instinct of being comfturable around a crowd of people no matter large or small scale the audience is the main focus when your talking about public speaking, when speaking on credibility you must be able to think on the spot and arrange your thoughts and points into a presentable fashion that can be recieved to the audience as well prepared and a solid speech, so in the real world when you get called upon for an unexpected showing of your communication skills or put on the spot some other people would say you can step up to the plate and not panic or fumble and deliver a quick but effective speech that makes not only you look good and gives you great credibility but plays a large part on your superiors who were testing you out for any number of reasons that it could have been

Ryan Tippetts said...

If you want to be recognized, be recognizable. I think that if you haven't been in public opportunities enough to gain your own credibility another good way would be to use someone else's. It's often been said "it's not what you know, but who you know." I feel that is the case when it comes to public speaking as well. In the beginning you may know a lot of different information but if people don't know who you are they might not believe anything you say. But if you can use examples from people they do know they will give you that credibility because of the name you have used. If you continue on this path it will eventually lead to your own credibility. People will develop a trust in you because they know you have a history of valuable and reliable information. Almost as if it were treated like a credit score. The more you prove yourself the higher it is.

Camille Ipson said...

Having the opportunity to give a speech in front of some of the Dixie State Student Body I learned that you need to give credibility to the people who get you there, to do so by giving an example of your own struggle to get there. I think that really made the audience connect with myself and with the message I was trying to convey. But not only is there that kind of credibility there is also annotating your own speeches if it is something about facts or a subject that you are giving details about. It is important to give all correct information while delivering your subject and making it all work. You can always say any information as long as you make sure it has the credibility of the original author. I think someone who does that shows that they have researched the subject well enough to know a lot about it and it makes me more interested knowing how hard they worked for it.

Alyssa Mae said...

Credibility, in my opinion, can come from a number of different branches of speaking. Although I have previously not frequented the "speaker" position at big events or meetings a few things have been brought to my attention over the past year or two. I am an Ambassador for the college and along with that position comes the responsibility to be in front of groups of people representing the college and persuading these groups that they want to come to Dixie State. Having the opportunity to do this many times over the last year and a half has shown me that credibility starts very small and can come from a few very small things that somehow spark someones attention towards you. There will be those few people who come to a presentation or to watch a speech because they are skeptical or opposed to what the speaker will be presenting. However, in most situations I have been put in the audience or group has come in seeking my advice and help as they approach the college application process. More than anything this underlying trust from those I am presenting to as helped me to realize that people are simply looking for something or someone with information that they can cling to and use, and of course this information must be credible. Until a time that someone has been well seasoned by actually speaking in public I think stepping stones such as presenting at a high school or college fair, speaking at a church or small community event and many more things builds credibility. Even the greatest speakers had to start somewhere! I am grateful that being an Ambassador has shown me how influential one persons credibility and speech can be and I know this class will only further that understanding.

Court Garr said...

The first add that I clicked on was the insurance link to lifequoteshere.com. This website to me seemed credible at first, they had the icons of leading insurance companies on their landing page and everything appears very crisp and professional. However, after I spent a few moments on the site another window popped up talking about insurance quotes in Utah; this is a deterrent to me. In my experience of doing customer service for internet companies, the pop-up approach is a technique some less than credible site will use to keep the attention of its visitors. This might be a totally credible site, but in my experience the pop-up is out of date and less credible. Secondly, I clicked on the Humana Medicare page link. I was more trusting of this website, the website was simple and user friendly. It conveyed the companies services simply and effectively, and it had their contact information visible on the landing page. If I was looking for health insurance I would trust the second site more, because of the elements offered on its home page.

Holly Marie said...

In answer to question one, obviously if you are well known around the area for giving speeches and representing various things, your credibility will be raised. Examples of this would include a student body president at a school or college, a media representative, a local counselor, and any political figures (sometimes). But of course, there are some of us who aren't well known and maybe haven't given a lot of speeches, if any. If this is the case, one of the things you can do is sneak in examples of any previous talks or speeches you have done, you have to be smart about this however! Don't just brag about how well you did or who told you good job; rather bring it in as an example that can tie into your topic. Such as, "last year I spoke at a convention for breast cancer awareness and one of the audience members stood up and started yelling at me for something she thought I had said.." This would be a good example if your topic was on listening or speaking clearly or even on sexism. Not only does this make you look more credible as a speaker but it also gave a personal story. Other things are obviously using well known sources and straight quotes.

Anonymous said...

After looking at three different website that were advertised on this blog I found two that look to me to be credible and one that didn’t look to convincing. The two websites are, Intel-GE Care Innovations that helps kids with dyslexia read, and Learning Tenchincs Inc. that help kids with learning disabilities. The website I found that didn’t look all that credible to me was the aarp medicare supplement website. The Intel and Learning Tenchincs websites both look very credible to me because of way the website is presented. Intel has their product right there on the home page and has a demo of how to use it/ easy of use. Intel has testimonies from parents and kids that have used their product saying it has helped them. Learning Tenchincs is very similar in regards to have a video explaining their product and testimonies at the end. Also they show parts of their program that helps kids overcome their disabilities. The aarp website is very plain and just has a form to put your info and a number to call. To me its not a very informative website but that is my opinion

Jake Sip said...

#1 Credibility in public speaking often comes from exposure to public speaking opportunities. How can you increase your credibility in public speaking?

One way I have found that increases credibility is being a trusted person. If you have a bad reputation for being a cheater or a lier, people are not going to believe everything you say. So just being a trusted credible person will greatly increase your speeches credibility. You also need to be careful that you keep your speeches free of lies. Even if you lie a little bit on a story, or a personal experience, if people find out its hard to re-earn credibility. I may sometimes find it hard to not exaggerate the truth a little bit. I have found that people want to add things in there that make them seem more interesting, and credible. One way you can help with this tell people its not a true story. A personal example is of a person I know. This person is always telling these amazing stories. If all of these stories were true, this guy would be cooler than the Old Spice guy. Yet 99% of what he says is completely false. Its to the point were nobody will believe a word he says. To increase your credibility you just need to gain a credible reputation.

Yvonne Chen said...

Integrity is earned, not placed. It is attained through consistency and hard work; just like public speaking, a credible speaker begins with practice. With practice comes experience, leading to confidence, and eventually the talent to capture the audience and engage with trust. One factor, as Professor Dalley mentioned, is the ability to arouse laughter. Laughter is an unconscious form of communication relating different groups of people. It builds an instant trust and a sense of ease, which is how close relationships should be. Practice is definitely the keystone for having the ability to gain credibility. Building connections through various events and having the privilege to speak in different environments only builds a deeper trust. The same concept goes to a family doctor, because people tend to lean toward the most experienced practitioner with good reviews from various people, not just a certified license. With that said, make more appearances!

Wesley Bledsoe said...

Building creditably in public speaking can be a long process. Unfortunately not all of us have a name that is well recognized around the community. A big part of building credibility is being good at what you are doing. As an audience member, I want to be taught by someone who is an expert on a topic. This doesn’t mean I need to see identification to pay attention to a speech, but when someone can present new information to me and back it up with credible sources or whole lot of confidence their credibility automatically goes up. This is why it is important to speak on something you are comfortable with and or passionate about because it is usually easy to read b.s. If you are extremely good at b.s. I would still avoid it because if your audience finds out later that it was all a bag of tricks then you lose any credibility that you built and it’s unlikely you will ever be able to build credibility with that audience again.

Anonymous said...

To begin gaining credibility it is probably best to stay away from controversial topics at first and to make sure you only cite trust worthy people, telling people Ronald McDonald says chicken nuggets are good for you is probably not a good start. Although it all depends on your audience for a lot of people quoting the government about financial things won’t go over well a lot of people don’t trust them but some do, all of this ties back to knowing your audience. Getting to know people that are generally trusted by most people is also a good idea but knowing what sites are good and what are bad is a bit of a harder thing to do but not impossible. I think building trust first is a good way to start gaining credibility people will believe who they can trust. One last thing I’m pretty sure Wikipedia makes you gain credibility before you can ruin important things now however it is still not to be trusted.

Brandon Wagstaff said...

Increasing your credibility as a public speaker is a step by step process. For the most part, each public speaker will start on a smaller stage. A good practice to increase credibility on even the smallest stage is to mesh the ideas of credible people with your own ideas. Using the right amount of other sources is vital. There is nothing like hearing a 2 paragraph quote during the middle of a presentation. It kills the mood of the speech and decreases your credibility as a speaker. You sound more like a narrator of a presentation than a speaker. Finding the right balance is a challenge, which is why it is important to begin this practice even on the smallest stages. A thorough study of your topic typically reveals that many bright minds have very good ideas already that can be sprinkled on top of the ideas that you will be presenting. When this balance is found it makes for presentations that are interesting and worth listening to.

Anonymous said...

I think becoming a credible public speaker is a process and takes several public speaking opportunities. However, anyone can give a speech that's credible. First and foremost, I think you, as the speaker need to gain the audiences trust. We have learned that the easiest way to do that is to make them laugh or smile. Instantly, you become more credible. During the impromptu speeches, I was really impressed when one of my classmates spoke about “gaming”. I know absolutely nothing about gaming and I honestly didn't know if he did either. He could have been “winging” it for all I knew. But to me, he was a credible speaker on the subject of “gaming” for a couple of reasons. One, he recalled the specific names of games as well as websites that were part of the “gaming” world. Two, he told stories and gave examples of incidents that had actually happened. And three, he spoke with authority on the subject. To gain credibility as a public speaker, you should gain the audiences trust, pay attention to detail, use examples, and speak with authority.

ann said...

Credibility is an important thing to have when you are giving a speech or a public speaker. Having a good name for yourself and also having references of people you have talked to or have an activity with. It’s all about politics for me. After you say something from a legit source then they would believe you on a whole other level. I was on the cheer team at my high school and for that people looked up to me and had trust in me and automatically watch ever move I make. SO in that matter when I said anything or gave any kind of a speech they believed what I said just because of that title and how I represented the school. How to make you have better credibility is to go get experience and go meet as much people as possible. Having all those names behind your speech will help you in the long run.

Jessica Jensen said...

1.Credibility in public speaking often comes from exposure to public speaking opportunities. How can you increase your credibility in public speaking?

Having credibility is an extremely important thing. If you do something to lose your credibility it can be really hard to regain completely. You can gain credibility not only by speaking often but you can also gain credibility by meeting and getting to know other credible people. Just like in your story about you and your wife sitting with the senator and his wife at a conference, you can gain credibility just by being friends with well-known people. Others will see you with someone well-known and want to meet you. They will then know your name and face and that will gain you more credibility. Word will spread about you and eventually you will become more and more well-known. Be sure to always let your audience know if you are quoting words from someone else because that will gain you credibility. By failing to do so it will be very easy for you to lose your credibility.

Maureena Hoyt said...

Credibility in public speaking can be gained in many ways. It is said that majority of speaking comes from non-verbal content of your speech. Learning to control you body posture and rate and tone of voice can greatly increase your effectiveness to speak in public. Almost more important to what you say is how it is received. If the body language and tone of a speaker does not jive with what they are saying many people will lose interest your credibility is lost. Another way to quickly boost your credibility is to lose any filler words. Small and simple words often get in the way and distract people from the message you are trying to deliver. Eliminating these words such as um, uh, like, ect will quickly increase credibility. Keeping your audience attention and interest is vital to building credibility. Many speakers will have small problems with body language or tone and not realize it. It is good to speak in front of close friends and colleagues before hand so they can help pin point the areas of opportunity.

ChantelRamos said...

The two ads that sound credible to me are the dancing with the stars ad and the itt tech ad. I think the dancing with the stars ad sounded credible to me because I know what it is I heard of it and i know it's on abc and I know the time. Itbwas abtopic I was familar with. The itt tech ad sounded credible to me because it said official site and it has a link for more information on it and it lists brief information on how many schools there are. I'm also familiar with the topic because of the commercials on television about itt tech. The other ads didn't seem realistic to me because free education online didn't seem realistic. Also the plan on Obama sending moms back to school. I kind of believe that ad because of some of the welfare plans obamba is coming up with but I'm not really familar with politics so I don't know much on the topic but to me that seemed unrealistic also. To me what makes a credible ad is the information provided should seem realistic because if you say something that seems also too good to be true thatvpeople probably won't believe it. The more information that is given and the more detailed the more people will believe the information you are giving them

Shane Brown said...

A few easy ways to increase your credibility or opportunities to speak in public are to organize a group to raise awareness about a cause you are passionate about. If that is your style. Another way is to get involved in a group that already exists. This seems pretty simple since now days there is a group for just about everything imaginable. To make it easy it seems in this day and age everyone that is interested in the goings on in the world has some kind of political ideology. It is also convenient that just about every political ideology has a group of people that are committed to seeing it succeed or at least they are interested in getting their ideas out into mainstream society. Also religion is a good way to find opportunities to speak in public. Not necessarily at the pulpit, but religious organizations often times are heavily involved in the community affairs and are in the public eye quite often. Generally there is some activity that takes place in public that one could seek out and be a part of. However caution must be taken when associating yourself with a group. For example, if one were to use public speaking opportunities organized by the west burrow baptist church (the church that protest’s the funerals of fallen soldiers) They may lose credibility to all except the church goers themselves. So if credibility is something your trying to build it may be wise to associate with credible organizations or individuals.

Mike Sheffield said...

Credibility for a public speaker often comes from having experience giving speeches or presentations. The most obvious solution for gaining credibility through this medium would be to seek out opportunities to give presentations and speeches. You can do this through several avenues. Here at Dixie State College and in our community, there are actually a fair amount of opportunities if you just look for them. You can join or create a Club or Organization here on campus. In that Club you can use that as a venue to do presentations about applicable topics to your members. You can also write and present bills to the ICC regarding funds and programs. You can seek a position on Student Government. There are plenty of opportunities to lead and present to those you are leading. You also have the opportunity to become involved in your community political scene. An idea that would appeal to the technologically savvy would be to create a blog or website. To start compiling a blog list of topics that you’ve clearly researched and have the ability to expound upon will give you credibility to a whole spectrum of individuals online, thus increasing your online presence.

Krissia Beatty said...

Fake it 'til you make it. This statement can be applied perfectly to increasing your credibility in public speaking. Begin by being credible, or in other words, fake that you are credible until you become credible. In the first public speaking opportunity that comes, be nothing but truthful. Tell stories, give examples, and use ideas that are all one hundred percent true. Don't allow yourself to fall in to the habit of telling "half truths" or making things up to sound more appealing. I have always been told the phrase "Practice make Permanent". If you practice your speech with only the truth, you will continue to only practice truth for the rest of the speeches that you give. The audience believes you before you even begin the speech, why disregard their trust by adding in details or numbers that aren't the full truth? Practice being credible and it will soon become habit to only be honest in your presentations.

Penelope Davis said...

Credibility in public speaking comes with being prepared for every speech given. The best way to increase your credibility is to start out small and work your way up to bigger, more important speeches. Every time you are asked to give a speech, take it seriously and make sure you know exactly what you are suppose to be talking on, who’s your audience, and make sure to practice, practice, practice, so you feel more confident and comfortable with your speech and about your topic. Also, making sure all the resources you used are credible. Having credible sources betters your credibility. As it was mentioned in the text above, also having those connections or being seen with someone else who has much credibility, will also better your own credibility. When you give a speech, you usually do not want to just brush the topic, you want to dig deep and give lots of supporting detail. This will help build your credibility, and not only that, but it will keep your audience more interested in what you have to say because you actually talk more about a certain topic than just hitting the points that everyone hears about all the time anyway.

Jensen S. said...

Click on 2 or 3 of the ads and discuss which ones are credible and why.

I clicked on the macKeeper add first. This add immediately jumped out to me as credible because of the attractive and crisp picture it had. It also included a seal that I recognize…the “mac” symbol. This leads me to believe that whatever this product is it will be beneficial to my MacBook computer. MacKeeper is using the “good name” of Mac to promote the use of its system cleaning program. Once I was in the add and browsing it I was caught feeling that this was a very legit program because there was not a lot of information that was being thrown at me. It was simple and concise. The lack of information leads me to feel that the product will do the talking. The add did loose a bit of credibility through their use of icons that did not necessarily have a direct link to the statement beside them. But the credibility was recovered when I saw the cliché “5 star award”. On top of that they did a good job of adorning their fact of “#1 system utility program in the world”.

On the other hand I also clicked into the tutoring link. At first I was impressed at the neatness of the cite. As I dove in a bit I soon lost trust. The item that first gave me trust lost it for me aswell… the video clip. At first when I saw this clip I was thinking wow this must be legit. They have a reporter from the “American Health Journal” talking about the issues their product solves. Soon after watching this clip I began to ponder the green screen of an office behind the gentleman speaking. Also the “good name” they used I had no idea who he was, Jon Heath was his name I believe. He did look official with his book and all. (Then again maybe I am just too nieve to who is who in the world). Also I feel that the clip could have been more concise. When looking for a product I don’t want to watch a 30 minute video to know that it is the right move. I want to feel confident by a short add like I did with the MacKeeper.

Jensen Stock

Kahri Golden said...

It is insanely important to be a credible pubic speaker. If you are like me and haven't given a lot of speeches, then it is a lot harder to get credibility. If you have had experience then it would be a lot easier to get credibility. For instance you could say “When I spoke and the Awareness For Teens conventions last summer...”, and that would automatically give you come credibility because it proves that you have spoke at other conventions or events. You need to be carful how you word it though. You don’t want to seem cocky or act like your bragging about it. When you bring up things like that, it not only makes you more credible, but it also can give you a personal story to talk about also. They way I see it is if you are more credible than more people are going to want to listen to you and are going to enjoy your presence more.

Kristin Heywood said...

Question 1

Becoming credible and becoming a skilled public speaker just takes experience and taking advantage of good opportunities! Honestly I think just getting involved at your school or in your community can help. This is where it starts! There will be leadership opportunities in anything that you do, and very rarely does any leadership role NOT consist of some type of public speaking. Also, as you get practice you realize that if you know what you're talking about, you are a much better speaker and more relaxed. People will also listen to you more and actually hear what you have to say. So that in itself is motivation to make sure you know what you're talking about whether it is from personal experience or you have researched from a valid source. Another way to increase your credibility is to actually say or cite your sources to your audience. Even though no one is going to go look up your source, just being open about it and giving credit to the person who you got the information from shows professionalism and that you have nothing to hide! And it shows integrity, so it's all around a good way to go!

Nathan Hanks said...

Gaining credibility in speaking can come from a few different ways. One is doing your home work. Find something you love to speak about, real credibility comes from specializing in a specific area. Example, if some one is a pilot and can fly an f16 at 22 feet, without dying, that person has something to draw from while speaking. Experiences from all the training and work that led to that accomplishment gives a person credibility. For the rest of us, we can pick a subject, learn about it, experience all we can. Then if its something we love, make a life style out of it. That's where speaking comes in, Steve Erwin made a life style out of crocodiles and wild life conservation. In an interview he said that poisonous snakes were actually his specialty. He was able to live a life around poisonous snakes, provide very well for his family, and make a huge difference in the world, not because of his ability to handle snakes, but because he could capture an audience.

Madison Davis said...

I think to increase your credibility in public speaking forums, you not only have to be exposed to public speaking events and make sure everything you say is related to fact, not opinion. But always try to make the events you speak at perceived as positive ones by the audience. For example, Being known for the inspiring speech you give at an orphanage once a year would bring back positive feedback, where as being seen speaking at a lot of protests, (though protesting isn't always bad, in fact its mostly good in my opinion) may bring some negative feedback from the public, you always want to be doing something positive if you can help it, Because the more credibility you gain the less your audience will question what you have to say - If you're always associated with the positive, referring back to lesson six, the audience will gain your trust faster, automatically liking you more, therefor you gain credibility faster with them.

Victoria Sorenson said...

Attaining credibility in public speaking comes from having a knowledge of a particular subject and having a forum to present that knowledge in. For me speakers with credibility are usually those with personal experience or who are offering something that I can gain from. You keep your credibility be delivering accurate information in a timely manner. As you present speeches and deliver what your audience is seeking the demand increases. It is also a good idea to have a website or blog for feedback so that your name and topic can be looked at and reviewed.

Christian McMullin said...

credibility in public speaking, is a key for me when i'm listening to someone. Is they know what they are talking about, and have some background knowledge on that topic. for instance, my math teacher better know what he talking about, and at least have some sort of math degree or its going to be hard for me to trust hes leading me in the right direction. Even in current events this is going on. The Philadelphia eagles in the NFL are having some issues with there defense, and there defensive coordinator up until this year was an offensive coach. Know that they have hit some adversity, they question him and his creditability as a defensive coach.

Alex said...

I think that the more you are able to speak in public about something, the more credible you become. Just the fact that you are giving multiple speeches on a topic will cause people to perceive you as a credible authority on that topic. Also, making sure that all the content in your speeches is from credible sources will make you credible by extension. If you are using awful sources, no one will ever consider you credible.

Tanner Rush said...

Credibility in public speaking often comes from exposure to public speaking opportunities. How can you increase your credibility in public speaking?

If you are interested in public speaking, it is very important that you gain credibility. An easy way to gain credibility is to start getting involved with public speaking. Not only does this mean you need to get out there and give some speeches, it also means you need to be in attendance at public speaking conferences, or events where there will be speakers. If you are seen at certain events, you will gain a lot of credibility just from being there. The more people you meet, the more and more your name will get spread around the grapevine. Soon enough, everyone will know who you are and they will be wanting you to come speak for them. Another way to increase credibility in public speaking is to properly cite your information. Take all the necessary precautions when giving your speech not to offend anyone. You must always know your audience.

KJardine said...

I can increase my credibility through being honest in all that I do. If I were to ask all the people I know if they thought I was credible they would probably say yes. This is because I do my best to not deceive them but instead give them credible information. Any credibility that a speaker gains is simply due to his own reputation. Ones reputation is constantly growing or regressing according to the actions of that person. Politicians are a good example of this. A politician may have some incredible new ways to strengthen the economy but if he has committed a major untrustworthy act then his ideas can become un-credible very quickly. I have friends that are not very credible because they have built up a dishonest reputation for themselves. The reason that my friends would say that I was credible is because I have given them no reason not to trust me. My credibility in public speaking will grow as I am honest with myself and those around me.