Credibility and Communications: How the Two Go Hand in Hand
Webster’s defines credibility as “the ability to inspire belief,” but it isn’t easy to measure or quantify.
I’m Kellie Gordon and I’m a Communications Consultant with Return Leverage. I’m going to talk about credibility in communications. More specifically, how they work together.
I believe credibility is positively correlated with success in every single sphere of life.
How do you avoid losing credibility in the business world? I think it starts with effective communications strategy.
Communications and credibility are so inextricably intertwined, that it’s really hard to have one without the other. If you want to increase your credibility in fact, focus on your communication strategy. Effective communications really begin with the four C’s: Competence, Compassion, Character, and Consistency
Competence in communications focuses on your ability to do the job and communicate that you can do the job well. That means speaking the language of your client or consumer. Knowing the language they use, speaking it well, and knowing the questions to ask -- all of this speaks to your credibility to your audience.
The second C in effective communications is Compassion. That may sound like it’s misplaced -- maybe compassion and communications don’t go together -- but they absolutely do. You might have heard the expression, and it’s especially critical in crisis communications, “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” This is important especially in crisis communication, but all communication, both internal and external.
The third C in effective communications is Character. Character means aligning your actions with your words. It’s includes living by high standards, high values, and delivering when you say you will. It’s integrity. This means following through on your commitments, but also making sure you’re doing what you’re asking other people to do.
And finally, credibility in communication includes Consistency. Consistency means that you’re using the same tone, the same voice, the same type of messaging, in every email, every ad, every brochure, every billboard, every tagline, every time.
Thanks for joining me. If you would like to know more about Return Leverage, go to returnleverage.com.