"I'm not talking about those people out there
that go out of their way to make you look
dumb. I'm talking about the things that you
do or say that are giving them the ammunition to
make you look dumb."
Credibility Robbers are our verbal and
non verbal actions which discredit
us.
We become easy prey for criticism and ridicule
when we are not aware of what messages we are
sending others through our body language and our
words. Here are just a few tips to
get you started: Body
Language:
Eye contact - If you want
to be perceived as credible you've got to look
at people in the eye. Especially the ones
that piss you off, or make you feel
uncomfortable. How long is good eye
contact? Less than two seconds makes you appear
like a nervous little mouse, longer than four
seconds you're either trying to intimidate the
person or falling in love.
Posture - Strong, confident
people don't have anything to prove. Their
body is erect, flexible and open. When we
are tired, hiding, or insecure that our body
language is slouched, slow, hesitant, or on the
other extreme flamboyant or in your face just
aggressive.
Verbal Language:
Gossiping - This is
the absolute best thing you can do if you want
to lose all credibility. You may of heard the
saying "If they're gossiping to you they're
gossiping about you" If you haven't heard this
saying before; now you have. If you plan on
moving forward in your career my advice is don't
even as much as listen to gossip.
Speak up & say your piece
- How do you expect to become credible
if you don't share your wonderful, beautiful,
intelligence with people? Whatever it is
that is stopping you from speaking (I'm shy, I'm
insecure) get over it. fast, you're losing
credibility.
Stop babbling and get to the point -
This goes for writing as well. "I
apologize for writing such a long letter, I
didn't have time to write a short one" Anyone
can babble on and on. It takes a
tremendous amount of forethought to say
concisely what you mean, whether verbal or
written. You lose credibility because babbling
can be perceived as boring, unclear,
indecisive or disrespectful to the listener
(they also have things to say or other places to
be)
Oh there's so much more to share, but alas our
minute has passed. Until next time
