How to Establish Credibility in a Persuasive Speech

Credibility is the degree to which your audience trusts you as a speaker.

In a persuasive speech, the speaker attempts to convince his audience of a particular point of view or the desirability of a particular course of action. Successful persuasive speaking involves appeals to emotions, logical arguments and the establishment of credibility. Credibility, in this context, can be defined as the power to elicit belief in what the speaker is saying and trust in the speaker himself.

Instructions

1. Discuss your experience. You will be a much more credible speaker if you can demonstrate significant experience with the particular topic or subject matter of your discussion. For example, a patent attorney with 15 years of professional experience would be a very credible speaker on the topic of intellectual property law. If you do not have a great deal of experience relating to your particular topic, don't lie about your experience. Make up for your lack of experience using the other methods in this article.

2. Use authorities and cite your factual statements. Whenever you are making a factual assertion, particularly one that is central to your argument, be sure to cite reliable, authoritative sources for that information. Don't leave your audience guessing where you got your information or whether you simply made it up.

3. Have a mandate for providing your opinion. Audiences can be skeptical of speakers. Why should they listen to your opinion? If at all possible, explain why you are speaking to the audience. Did someone ask you to come speak based on your experience? Did you recently complete a research project related to the speech? Whatever the reason, share it for the audience if it will contribute to your legitimacy.

4. Be specific. When making assertions to your audience, whether as the ultimate issue of your speech or as a supporting element, be as specific as you can. For example, it is much more credible to say "35 out of every 1,000 children born in this city will spend at least five years in the state penitentiary" than it is to say "lots of children born in this city will go to the state penitentiary." Specificity tells the audience you have done your homework and know exactly what you are talking about.

References

• Speech Gems: What Makes a Persuasive Speech?
• Study Guide: Persuasive Speech Outline