Credibility

What do you think of when you hear the word, credibility? The book definition is "the quality of being trusted." Trust and credibility are both traits that you cannot give yourself. Only others can give it to you. Now, the question....how do we inspire people to trust us, to gives us credibility?

Well, showing someone you truly care about them and have their best interests at heart is the first step. Once people begin to learn about you, they will want to know some things about your past....your "story". Many of us have been through tough times. Relating this to people shows that you, too, have struggled and know the feelings of how hard life can be. You build your credibility to lead people by the storms you have endured.

Have you ever seen those TV preachers? they always act as though they have been walking on water since the age of 5. Who can relate to that? How does this build their credibility? Do we even believe this person? Hard for me to. I can definitely respect the people who say, and show, that they have endured struggles. That they have walked through the fire and come out the other side a better person for the experience. That person has built their credibility with me.

So, do you want to have credibility in peoples eyes? Do you want the "quality of being trusted"? If you do, then show people how much you care for them. Be honest in who and what you are. And be transparent about your struggles, either from the past or in the present. You will then inspire trust and earn your credibility.

How to Trust Someone

Trust is what keeps our society functioning. Speaking from an evolutionary perspective, we must trust to survive. But it can be a slippery thing. What makes us trust people? And more curiously, what makes us trust some people but not others? Trust is based on expectation. You expect something from someone and trust them based on whether they lived up to your expectation. Now, past experiences with a person will determine whether or not you trust them  but here are a few things to help you define how and why you trust or distrust a person.

 Consistency- The more consistent a person behaves, the easier for you to determine a pattern and form an expectation.

Posture- Standing straight and tall gives an aura of strength and confidence and will be more attractive to trusting.

Transparency- When a person seems to be hiding something, we feel as though we cannot fully trust that person. Self-disclosure builds trust.

Discretion- The ability to keep secret the things you share with a person inspires trust. 

Familiarity- The more you know about someone, the more you know if and how to trust them. 

Resemblance- Birds of a feather.....If someone dresses like you, acts like you do or looks like you, you are more likely to trust that person because you believe they are most similar to you. In NLP, this is called mirroring. 

 These are just some of the ways that we form an opinion of trust. Likewise, people are also using these to decide whether to trust you or not. Always remember that what you say and what you do is under constant observation.