You must know how important it is to create credibility around yourself and your self-image?! maybe you’re not fully aware of how you are being perceived by others – if you naturally are the person people go to for help and assistance, because they believe you can and will help them; or if you are the person they would rather avoid, when having questions that need answering?
Most of us have tried to be in a conversation with a person that is super convincing, and whom you trust is telling the truth and knows the answers, based on a single conversation. I am finalizing my free tips with insight into, how you can build and improve your credibility in interactions with others – enjoy!
We’ve all had that one person in our lives that has inspired us, motivated us, and established a strong foundation of credibility. Did you ever stop and wonder, how this person came to have this credibility and “Power”, when entering into interactions with other people?
My tip for you, is to work on your “Ethos”. In professional language, the Ethos refers to your moral character and how your moral character is perceived by people around you.
How can this be done? It might sound very simple and easy to approach, but for you to actively work on your ethos in day-to-day interactions, can be very tricky! SO I’ve put together a few of the best tips I have, to help you work on your Ethos.
These tips are very basic, but very easy to implement when entering into situations of interaction, such as presentations, meetings, job interviews and so on.
Tips to build on your Ethos include:
Be Grounded when standing and sitting.
– Establish your Home Base and your travel points (refer to my former tips for more information on these concepts), and practice where to put your hands.
– When sitting, place your feet flat on the floor, straighten your back, and place your forearms on the table or in your lap. This keeps you in a visually stabile position and helps you focus, so you can deliver your message in a clear and concise manner.
Be well prepared and adapt.
Make sure you have done your research and know it by heart; then you are prepared for any and all questions that might come up, and are able to adapt to the situation.
Be calm and speak clearly at a slow, but controlled, pace.
This emanates self-confidence and makes you appear professional
Refer shortly to your background and relation to the topic.
Then people know why they are listening to you, and why what you say is relevant and important.
Refer to the data and research you have used.
This informs the listener/receiver that you are not just making stuff up, but that you have the actual knowledge to pass the information on.
Of course there is much more that can be looked at in detail, but with these pointers, you will be building the foundation of a strong “ethos” (moral character) – to make you more credible and trustworthy in your communication.
For further details on how to build credibility and become more trustworthy, feel free to get in touch with me, so we can have a talk about the workshops I do on credibility in communication.
Thanks for tuning in!
If you find this topic interesting and want to know more about efficient communication, feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to have a virtual coffee with you!
Sarah Andersen Business Optimization 