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Most people spend a good deal of time thinking about how we are coming across to others versus how we perceive ourselves. It will be frustrating or worse when our contributions do not seem to be understood, accepted, or appreciated. We are wise to pay attention to how we are being perceived in personal life (e.g., how an in-law regards us as a parent), in professional life (e.g., how an administrator evaluates a project we created), and in community life (e.g., how family or friends react to a speech we present).
We each have our own goals for how we are understood by others and ourselves. These perceptions represent credibility, that is, our image, identity, reputation, or standing in a specific situation or relationship.
Having knowledge, skills, and experience is important. To meet our goals in different contexts, we need a realistic picture of ourselves and our abilities. At the same time, it is equally important to do and say what will help others understand and accept what we have to offer.
Credibility Defined
The ability to perceive yourself and your abilities realistically and communicate these to others is a very important key to personal and professional accomplishments. Credibility has been studied for a long time, at least since ancient Greece, where it was called ethos. Since ancient times, scholars have tried to figure out what credibility is and what makes some people more credible than others.
Credibility is the extent to which a communicator is perceived as competent, trustworthy, sincere, dynamic, and strong. We can break credibility down into these five interrelated characteristics:
Competent = having knowledge and expertise
Trustworthy = being responsible and dependable
Sincere = being genuine, earnest, ethical
Dynamic = showing interest, vitality, and spirit
Strong = being powerful, able, and effective
Your credibility as a speaker, leader, worker, volunteer, friend, partner, or family member is made up of a blend of these different characteristics. In any given situation or relationship, how does this blend of characteristics play out? For example, at work a person may have years of experience and training and yet may be seen as untrustworthy and weak if others believe they will not get quality work in on time. Or perhaps a person has the right skill set but does not do a good job demonstrating that they care about the goals of the organization and the people involved. As Michael (2024) expressed, credibility and trust are “the currency of business,” hard to gain and easy to lose.
Credibility Must Be Communicated
From my perspective as a communication professional, it is important to understand where a communicator’s credibility exists. For example, if we went looking for my credibility as a communication expert to write this blog, where would we find it? Most people will say we should look at my credentials, for example, what college degrees and work experience I have. If that were true, then having a PhD degree and teaching communication classes for over 40 years means I automatically have credibility. However, from experience, you likely already know this is not always true. We so often see people put so much effort toward earning credentials and gaining experience that they confuse competence with credibility (Singh, 2023).
Rather than looking for credibility in a person’s credentials and experience, it is important to understand that credibility exists in the mind of the listener or receiver. In other words, my credibility rests in others’ perception of me. I may have excellent credentials and experiences, but what counts is how these factors are received and understood by others.
This means that credibility must be believed and accepted by others. It is not enough to be competent, trustworthy, sincere, dynamic, and strong (how you see yourself). We also need to focus on understanding credibility in terms of how others perceive you. In other words, credibility must be communicated. This is important to understand, as credibility is constantly changing as situations and needs shift.
How do we help others recognize and accept our positive qualities and experiences in the specific contexts in which we find ourselves? How do we help others overcome limitations about us that they may perceive? Sometimes we are aware of our credibility strengths and challenges, and other times we are in the dark. There are things you can do and say to help others hold the impressions you desire.
Starting Place for Working on Credibility
Sometimes our own self-knowledge is not accurate or is outdated. For example, an athlete who is past their prime, a friend who lacks skill using social media, or a family member who is not good at handling the health challenges of their partner. All these examples lead to a mismatch between how a person wants to be perceived and contribute, and the image others hold of them.
There are times when other people intentionally or unintentionally hold inaccurate or outdated perceptions of who they are or what they have to offer. For instance, others may not recognize our leadership abilities or refuse to see how much our skills and knowledge have developed.
You can start by gaining a clearer understanding of your own credibility strengths and challenges. Make notes about your insights and keep developing them:
- First, think about a situation where you believe the other person or people involved appear to understand and accept your credibility strengths—they see you as you wish to be perceived.
- Second, think about a situation where you believe the other person or people involved do not seem to understand and accept your credibility strengths—they do not see you as you wish to be perceived.
For both your credibility strengths and challenges, focus on specific examples of why you believe the other(s) do see you (and you see yourself) as competent, trustworthy, sincere, dynamic, and strong, or do not.
In an upcoming blog, we will continue working on understanding our own credibility strengths and weaknesses in particular contexts or relationships. It all starts with a clear picture of our effectiveness and limitations, making meaningful changes, and communicating in ways that help maximize what we have to offer.
