1. I would be myself
2. eye contact and self confidence
3. speak and tell the truth at all times
I try to build my credibility when interacting with others, especially when speaking to an audience, by demonstrating my knowledge and experience in the subject-matter, give examples of real life situations to back up what I am trying to teach and then listen to their questions and comments. I agree that you can build trust by listening and relating to your audience.
Alfons,
these are 3 great reminders when entering a persuasion/negotiation situation.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
It depends on the audience I'm dealing with. To promote my work with clients, I use my 30 years of experience in the field and often tell stories (give testimonials) of people with similar issues that were helped. To promote my classes, I use my own education, my specialty certifications, my awards, my positions with various prestigious groups, etc. And again, I use testimonial stories of students who went on to thrive in business as a result of my classes.
The word "but" negates whatever was said just before that ... and telling them they are wrong and "you are now going to tell them the right way" is not beneficial in building rapport or persuading anyone. In fact, I think it would work just the opposite and alienate them.
I think it is the three E's- education, experience, and empathy. If you can successfully express these three you can be very persuasive.
