Building Blocks to Thought Leadership

The Route to Persuasion

Bolaji Okusaga

Leading Thought – The TCR Connection

Trust Credibility Respect

Creating platforms for Trust

Defining Trust

Nurturing Trust

Creating Moments of Truth

• A strong belief that a person or institution is dependable

• Doing the things we do in a consistent and reliable manner

• Making our word count

• Aligning our words t our action• Backing our words with the

right actions

The Trust Continuum

Excessive Trust• Gullibility • Naivety

Reasonable Trust• Responsibility• Delegation• Patronage

Excessive Distrust• Suspicion• Paranoia

CredibilityWHAT IS IT• Credibility refers to “Judgments made by a perceiver concerning the

believability of a communicator” (O’Keefe, 1990).• Credibility is also referred to as “Ethos.”

WHAT IS NOT• Credibility is not synonymous with charisma or leadership.

WHAT IT DOES• Credibility is a crucial element in persuasion.

Describing CredibilityThe Basis of Credibility

Credibility is the audience’s attitude toward or perception of the speaker.

It is therefore shaped as opposed to being ingrained

Components of Credibility

Competence• Perceptions of the speaker’s intelligence,

expertise

Character• Perceptions of the speaker’s sincerity,

trustworthiness

Dynamism• Perceptions of the speaker’s energy,

enthusiasm

3 Types of Credibility• The way you are perceived

at first meetingInitial • Derived through

associationDerived • Comes through positionTerminal

Building Credibility

Credibility is the platform on which

trust thrives.

Without Credibility, it will be tough to build

relationships and grow businesses

Building Blocks to Credibility

Competence• Refers to the knowledge

and skills needed to accomplish business tasks, approach business problems, and get a job done.

Caring• Implies understanding the

interests of others, cultivating a sense of community, and demonstrating accountability

Character• Refers to a reputation for

staying true to commitments made to stakeholders and adhering to high moral and ethical values.

Credibility Dimensions

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Credibility is a perceptual phenomenon.• Ethos is in the eye

of the beholder.

Credibility is a multi-dimensional construct.• it is a composite of

multiple factors

Credibility is situational.• It varies from one

context to another.

Credibility is dynamic.• It changes over

time, even during a short period of time.

Primary Credibility Dimensions

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• The persuader has knowledge, skills, knows his/her stuff.

Expertise (competence)

• The persuader is honest, safe, dependable.

Trustworthiness (character, integrity)

• The persuader takes a genuine interest in you.

Goodwill (perceived

caring)

• Knowledge and Character specific

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• A source is energetic, enthusiastic.

Dynamism (extroversion)

• A source is calm, cool, and collected.

Composure (poise)

• A source is friendly, warm, charming.

Sociability (Likeability)

Secondary Credibility Dimensions• Situation specific

Credibility and Persuasion

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Credibility typically functions as a

peripheral cue in persuasion.

Credibility matters more when receivers

have low involvement.

Credibility matters less when receivers have

high involvement.

The TCR EquationHow We

Look

How We Act

What We Say

How We Say

ItTCR

Impact of Message in Building TCR

Visual

VerbalVocal

What We See

What They Say

What We Hear

The Sleeper Effect

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The persuasiveness of messages changes over time.• Most messages lose

effectiveness over time.

The Sleeper Effect is an exception to the general rule.• A message initially

advocated by a low credibility source may increase in persuasiveness over time.

Enhancing Credibility

Prime and Prepare Yourself.

Refer to your expertise on

subject matter.

State your Mission and background

Identify with the needs of

your audience.Display Care

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Thank You