3. What makes a speaker persuasive?
Because they perceive the speaker as having high
credibility.
Because they are won over by the speaker’s evidence.
Because they are convinced by the speaker’s reasoning.
Because their emotions are touched by the speaker’s ideas
or language.
4. FACTORS OF CREDIBILITY
Many things affect a speaker’s credibility, including
sociability, dynamism, physical attractiveness, and perceived
similarity between speaker and audience.
Above all, though, credibility is affected by two factors:
■ Competence—how an audience regards a speaker’s
intelligence, expertise, and knowledge of the subject
■ Character—how an audience regards a speaker’s sincerity,
trustworthiness, and concern for the well-being of the audience
5. TYPES OF CREDIBILITY
Not only can a speaker’s credibility vary from audience to
audience and topic to topic, but it can also change during the
course of a speech—so much so that we can identify three
types of credibility:
■ Initial credibility—the credibility of the speaker before she or
he starts to speak
■ Derived credibility—the credibility of the speaker produced
by everything she or he says and does during the speech itself.
■ Terminal credibility—the credibility of the speaker at the
end of the speech
6. Explain your competence
Establish Common Ground with Your Audience
Deliver Your Speeches Fluently, Expressively,
and with Conviction
Using Evidence or Supportive Material
