Your Credibility Depends Upon How You Make People Feel
Take a moment to watch Bill Gates in this video. Consider how you view his credibility. According to a global poll of 42,000 people, he’s the most admired person in the world.
He generates instant credibility, doesn’t he? When you watch, your brain remembers something about his accomplishments and wealth. But you can’t process all his credentials as quickly as you can his thoughtful voice, his relatable attire, his focused facial expression, his simple visuals, and his calm pace.
Everything about him reinforces that he’s warm, thoughtful, and an authority on his subject.
We process those considerations within seconds of the video starting.
In my last post, I reviewed how the human brain uses mental shortcuts to minimize fear and maximize pleasure when it evaluates someone’s credibility. This happens in the brain’s amygdala and nucleus accumbens, respectively.
Now, let’s explore what you can do to increase your credibility in another person’s brain, applying what we know about how the brain works.
Appear Trustworthy Rather Than Risky
People’s brains detect even minor characteristics that appear “off.” They’ll perceive you to be either risky or not risky based on how you look, sound, and act.
What does it mean to be risky? In part, this refers to psychological safety. Psychological safety is the degree to which people can let their guard down around you. Do you manage your energy and anxiety so that you can remain calm and confident around others? Are you fully present with people, as demonstrated through eye contact and active listening? Are you compassionate and humble? Do you respect boundaries? Do you give up the facts, even if it hurts? Are you willing to grow and be flexible?
The other part of riskiness has to do with your reliability. Do you show up on time? Do you appear organized? Are you willing to admit your limits and tell people what’s not working or what not to eat on the menu? Are you there for people when they need you? Does your physical appearance convey respect and care for your body and your attire? If you can’t iron your shirt, I might have a hard time trusting you to give me well-conceived accounting advice.
Show You’re Relevant
The question to ask here is whether you’re relatable and aligned to what others want. Relevance and relatability come from the stories you tell. Through human history, people have connected and communicated their ideas to others through narrative. This includes the ability to tell a compelling story and frame your ideas using a narrative arc. If you need an example of how to do this, just turn to your favorite Pixar movie. Every Pixar movie follows the same story structure to create a compelling and relatable narrative. You can apply the same formula to your next meeting!
Beyond stories, think about whether your language and focus are aligned to the outcomes that other people desire. A famous example is the NASA janitor who, when asked by President John F. Kennedy what his job was, responded that he was helping to put a man on the moon. That’s making your work relevant.
You can also demonstrate relevance through a relatable appearance. Research has shown that people trust others who look or act more like themselves. It’s true, of course, that we may have cultural, gender, or other limits to how much we can “look” like others. But mirroring attire, words, and body language can be effective if done in sincere ways that don’t compromise your own identity and integrity.
Don’t Confuse People
As author and consultant Donald Miller says, “If you confuse, you lose. Human beings are drawn to clarity. They are repelled by confusion.” That means it’s important to be concise, understandable, and have a consistent message.
One way to keep this top of mind is to be aware of the effort others have to put into listening to you. No matter how interesting you are, after about two minutes, they’re going to have a hard time staying engaged. So stop talking and let others talk. When you do talk, make concepts understandable. Break them down, simplify them, use digestible language.
Just as important is consistency. If you say one thing one day and something else entirely the next day, you create confusion. The same thing will happen if your colleague says one thing, and you later change, dismiss, or contradict it. Consistency also means providing answers that are consistent with the truth—and having enough knowledge about the situation to be able to do so.
Be enjoyable rather than painful
Dale Carnegie said that the little recognized secret of success is enthusiasm. The origin of that word comes from the Greek enthous (which means inspired by) and theos (meaning god or spirit).Do people sense that you are inspired by a spirit that comes across to people through your energy, your facial expression, your vocal intonation, and your dedication? Enthusiasm is contagious because it’s enjoyable and attractive.The other question to consider is whether you seem enjoyable. This requires an assessment of the situation and other person(s) to determine what’s appropriate. It may be that humor, creativity, adventure, or just plain authenticity are exactly what’s needed to help the other person believe in and trust you.
Which of these ideas would help you build credibility more quickly? Remember, you only have seconds to look, sound, and act like you’ve got it together.
Comments are closed here.