40 Additional Strategies to Build Ethos

Below are some final tips to consider as you prepare to demonstrate ethos in your upcoming speeches.

Self-Presentation

The subjective aspect of a public speaker’s credibility is based on the speaker’s self-presentation. Here are some tips for earning credibility on a subjective level:

1. Dress the part. Show the audience that you take the speaking engagement seriously, and that you hope to earn their respect. If you’re not sure how to dress, professional attire is always a safe bet.
2. Look at the audience. Establishing eye contact will make you seem open and trustworthy.
3. Speak loudly, clearly, and confidently. If you have confidence in yourself, the audience will too.

Expertise

Mark Twain once said that an expert is just “an ordinary fellow from another town.” If only it were that easy! In reality, if you want to convince the audience that you are an expert, you will have to show some credentials. Here are three ways to establish objective credibility:

1. State your credentials. Audiences will trust you more readily if you can prove that other people value your expertise. Credentials include relevant degrees, certifications, testimonials, recommendations, work experience, volunteer experience, and informally, other types of personal experience.
2. Reveal a personal connection to your topic. Your input will have more weight if you can demonstrate that the topic means something to you.
3. Establish common ground with your audience. If you can explain that, ultimately, you all want the same thing, the audience will be much more likely to trust you and accept your message.

Credibility, Character, and Caring

Personal character is an important addition to the elements of credibility we discussed in the last segment . However, it is important to note that, for a public speaker, character is not as simple as being a nice person or a law-abiding citizen. Public speakers are responsible for communicating something of value to a large group of people. A public speaker of character should listen to the needs of the audience, entertain potential objections, walk the audience through opposing viewpoints, and respond to questions. Show your listeners that you’re looking out for them. After all, why should they trust you if you don’t care about them? To bring the audience’s needs and interests to the forefront of your speech, follow these steps:

1. Find common ground with your audience.
2. Appeal to shared beliefs and values.
3. Identify a shared goal.
4. Return to this shared goal throughout the speech.
5. Demonstrate that you have considered other perspectives on the issue.
6. Show that you understand the appeal of opposing positions.
7. Make a case for your own position.

References

Original content contributed by Lumen Learning