Building Credibility

Meaning of Building Credibility

When people build credibility, they try to show that they are a reliable source of information. People build credibility in many sources, such as when writing speeches, essays, and non-fiction texts.

Importance of Building Credibility with Audience

Speakers and writers must build credibility so their audience trusts what they have to say. Coming across as trustworthy helps writers demonstrate their knowledge. This helps engage audiences and contribute to new perspectives in a field.

Credibility also helps convince an audience to agree with an argument. In persuasive writing and speaking, authors want to prove that their argument is based on fact. If they do not, the audience might think the argument is weak and be less inclined to agree with it. The Greek philosopher Aristotle called the rhetorical appeal to credibility ethos.

Steps to Build Credibility With an Audience

There are several steps that speakers and writers can take to establish credibility with an argument. They can use one of them, all of them, or combinations of a few.

Mention Relevant Personal Experience

One way to build credibility is to discuss or allude to relevant personal experiences. For instance, if a writer mentions that he has a degree in the subject at hand or years of professional experience, their audience is more likely to trust what they have to say on the topic.

Not all personal experience builds credibility. Writers should make sure that the experience they discuss is relevant to the topic. Otherwise, they may confuse the audience. For example, imagine a politician is trying to get elected to higher office based on his view on gun policy and mentions that he has lots of experience hunting with his friends. While he does have personal experience with guns, this is not relevant experience because it does not tell the audience why he is a trustworthy person to write policies on the topic. Instead, discussing his experience with policy and leadership would be more relevant.

Use Evidence

Credible writing is based on reliable evidence. Writers who base their arguments solely on opinions are unlikely to convince their readers of their arguments. For example, consider the following two claims:

The second example here is less credible because the author bases their claims on their own opinions rather than facts from a trustworthy source.

Write with Clarity, Confidence, and Consistency

Writers need to write clearly to sound credible. Writing that is wordy, vague, or confusing might suggest that the writer is trying to feign intelligence about a topic. Instead, language should be simple and direct.

For example, sometimes authors use unnecessary words called filler words that make it seem like they know what they are writing about when they really do not. An example is an unclear sentence like the following:

On the surface, this sentence might seem scientific and trustworthy. However, when readers break down each word, they realize that the author is not really making a claim here. Instead, if the author used clear language, their point would be more direct and believable. For instance, consider the following sentence:

Here, the writer uses clear language to make a straightforward point. Writing like this seems more credible because it is easy to understand.

Similarly, writers and speakers who are not confident are often not convincing. If the person discussing a topic does not seem to know what they are talking about, their audience will find it hard to believe. Consistency is also important when presenting a credible argument. Speakers and writers need to ensure they maintain the same point of view throughout their argument to appear trustworthy.

Importance of Style, Tone, and Voice in Building Credibility

Tone, style, and voice are essential elements writers can use to build their credibility.

Style

A writer's style reflects their level of professionalism, which impacts their credibility.

For instance, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), Mark Twain tells a fictional story about a Southern-American boy. Throughout the story, Twain uses colloquial language, which makes the writing style an authentic representation of the life of someone from the American South in this period.

Tone

Writers' tone can make or break the credibility of their argument. The tone is similar to the mood of a text.

If a writer's tone is too informal, sarcastic, or judgmental, writers risk reducing their credibility. For instance, imagine a writer is trying to convince readers to eat a vegetarian diet, and they say:

This writer's use of words like "great" and "better" makes the writing vague and informal. Words like "stupid" also make the tone sound judgmental. Speaking in such a casual, harsh tone could dissuade the audience from continuing to engage with this argument. It is also likely to make the audience distrust what this writer says.

In contrast, if the writer used a formal, respectful tone, the audience is more likely to trust what they have to say and engage with the argument. For instance, imagine the writer says:

Here the writer uses evidence-based, academic language and an objective point of view to ensure their tone is formal and their writing is credible.

Fig. 2 - All writers have a distinctive voice that impacts their credibility.

Voice

Voice, a defining characteristic of an author's style, can also impact credibility. Voice is comparable to the personality of a writer's writing.

Many elements define an author's voice, including the types of words used and how they use them. These choices also impact the writer's credibility. For example, the American author Ernest Hemingway is famous for using short declarative sentences to construct a distinctive voice. This was useful in books like Death in the Afternoon (1932), where he comes across as a credible source of information on Spanish bullfighting.

Building Credibility Examples

There are many examples of building credibility in famous speeches and writing. For example, James Baldwin built credibility into his 1963 speech entitled "A Talk to Teachers."

Early in the speech, Baldwin says:

Here, Baldwin expresses self-awareness that he does not have personal experience with the audience's profession. Acknowledging shortcomings is honest and helps establish trust with the audience. Baldwin goes on to discuss his experience growing up in New York City and his experiences with injustice. This helps him appear to be a credible source on civil rights and race topics.

Another example of how to build credibility is evident in Michelle Obama's speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention:

Here, Obama builds credibility by referencing her past and her passions. Drawing on the audience's experiences with her throughout history helps her strengthen her argument about supporting Biden.