Defining a Credibility Statement

Rebecca Renner reports:

"When giving a speech or writing a paper, it's important to keep in mind how the audience perceives you. How much of your information they trust depends on your level of credibility. Credibility is another way of saying how trustworthy something is. To build your credibility in an informative speech outline, you must give your audience reasons why you would be right. Some things you might include to make your audience think you're credible are your background, your experience with the subject matter or personal characteristics that make you intrinsically trustworthy...A credibility statement is a sentence or two in a paper or a speech that discusses reasons why the audience should trust the speaker. A credibility statement is generally introduced toward the beginning of an informative speech outline, directly after the introduction of the subject. The credibility statement’s purpose is to convince the audience that the speaker is trustworthy and the information they're providing is credible...Credibility statements rely on rhetorical appeals, primarily an appeal to ethics. Ethical appeals boost the audience’s trust of the speaker by introducing information that defines the speaker’s character. The best ethical appeals are directly related to the content of the paper or speech...To write an appropriate credibility statement, succinctly give information about your background that lets your audience know you would reasonably have access to the information you're sharing. In an informative speech outline, place the statement toward the beginning of your speech. If you feel that your background does not match your subject, you can substitute feelings of goodwill for your audience. If your audience feels...you have their best interest at heart, they will be more likely to trust the information that you share. You can also add related information about yourself that paints you as the speaker or writer in a positive light, highlighting your trustworthy character."