1. SOURCE CREDIBILITY THE IMPORTANCE OF ETHOS IN COMMUNICATION www.robertgass.com

2. Highly credible sources may be described as displaying leadership having charisma being telegenic possessing savoir faire Ethos Definition: “Judgments made by a perceiver about the believability of a communicator” (O’Keefe), 2012, p. 181) WHAT IS SOURCE CREDIBILITY?

3. Most admired women  Hillary Clinton  Oprah Winfrey  Michelle Obama  Sarah Palin  Malala Yousafazi  Condoleezza Rice  Angela Merkel  Angelina Jolie  Kate Middleton  Queen Elizabeth II MOST ADMIRED PEOPLE: USA POLL Number of mentions, based on a Gallup poll conducted in December 2013 Most admired men  Barck Obama  George W. Bush  Pope Francis  Bill Clinton  Rev. Billy Graham  Bill Gates  Clint Eastwood  Ron Paul  Ted Cruz

4. MOST ADMIRED PEOPLE IN THE WORLD 1.Bill Gates 2.Barack Obama 3.Vladimir Putin 4.Pop Francis 5.Sachin Tendulkar 6.Xi Jinping 7.Narendra Modi 8.Warrant Buffet 9.Amitabh Bachchan 10.Abdul Kalam Based on a YouGov survey of 13,895 people, internet and mobile phone surveys

5. FICTIONAL CREDIBILITY the most interesting man in the world a trustworthy Gecko Imaginary endorsers will never be involved in a scandal a head for business

6. Credibility is: a perceptual phenomenon situational, contextual dynamic, changing multidimensional CREDIBILITY FEATURES

7. Primary Credibility Dimensions Competence: expertise, know- how Trustworthiness: character, honesty, integrity Goodwill: perceived caring Benoit (2004) says expertise is the most important of the three dimensions CREDIBILITY DIMENSIONS

8. If you were selecting a surgeon Expertise: licensed, board certified Has performed the operation numerous times Trustworthiness: won’t bill you for unnecessary procedures Goodwill: bedside manner, rapport If you were selecting a mechanic Expertise: licensed, trained, experienced Familiar with your make and model Trustworthiness: honest, won’t rip you off Goodwill: friendly, knows your name, remembers you as a customer PRIMARY DIMENSIONS APPLIED

9. HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE CREDIBILITY OF THESE SOURCES?

10. Dynamism energetic, enthusiastic Composure calm, collected, poised Sociability warm, likeable, friendly SECONDARY DIMENSIONS Which celebrity goes with what secondary dimension(s)?

11. CREDIBILITY AND PERSUASION High credibility sources are much more persuasive than low credibility sources Credibility tends to function as a peripheral cue (mental shortcut) Increasing listener involvement decreases the reliance on source credibility Increasing listener involvement increases central processing (analyzing the content of a message) Address questions like “Why should I care?” “How does this affect me?”

12. ADVICE FOR IMPROVING YOUR CREDIBILITY 1.State your own background, experience, expertise on the issue 2.Avoid disclaimers and powerless language  “Can I start over?”  “like,” “uhm…” 3.Cite qualified sources in your speech  State your sources’ qualifications  Provide evidence to support your points 4. Channel nervous energy positively  Use movement, gestures to release nervous energy  punctuate your transitions nonverbally

13. ADVICE FOR IMPROVING YOUR CREDIBILITY 5. Adapt your message to your audience’ frame of reference  Identify with your audience  Emphasize similarities, shared values  But don’t simply “preach to the choir” 6. Research your topic thoroughly  Know what you are talking about  Be familiar with all the relevant issues 7. Prepare and practice  Practice your speech the same way you will deliver it  be organized, fluent, composed  manage your time carefully  anticipate likely questions or objections