Credibility Authority Social attractiveness Believability of a communicator, as perceived by the recipient of the message * EXPERTISE * TRUSTWORTHINESS (Hovland, Janis, Kelly, 1953) * Intelligence * Character * Goodwill (Aristotle)ˇ GOODWILL (McCroskey, 1999) Knowledge, abilities, experience... Perceived honesty, character, and safety Perceived caring (They have listeners' interest at heart, show understanding of others' ideas, and are empathic.) Make eye-contact Use gestures to add emphasis to the points you make. Try to appear spontaneous and unrehearsed. Maintain a relaxed, open posture. Lean forward and smile. Change your posture frequently. Your voice. Sound confident, change your rate, pitch, and volume. Pay attention to your clothing People presume that persuaders have their own motives for saying what they are saying. People make predictions or expectations about what a communicator will say, based on what they know about him or her, and the situation. KNOWLEDGE BIAS is the presumption that a communicator has a biased view of an issue The audience believes that speaker's background has prevented him/her from looking objectively at the various sides of the issue. Communicator delivers message Audience members form expectation of communicator's position on issue Expectation confirmed ? Communicator's position attributed to background. No increase in credibility. Communicator's position attributed to inner convictions. Increase in credibility NOYES REPORTING BIAS occurs when audience assumes that communicator is saying something only to please them They assume that communicator makes speech under situational pressure and all he/she says just reflects what audience wants to hear. Communicator delivers message Audience members form expectation of communicator's position on issue Expectation confirmed ? Communicator's position attributed to desire to please audience . No increase in credibility. Communicator's position attributed to inner convictions. Increase in credibility NOYES The impact of persuasive message usually decreases over time. The sleeper effect predicts that a message from a low-credibility source can actually increase in persuasiveness. (Hovland, Weiss, 1951) Essay about the effectiveness of atomic submarines Sources: Soviet newspaper Pravda vs. Nobel Prize-winning nuclear physicist R. Oppenheimer Time Attitude change High credibility Low credibility Cause : The sleeper effect occurs because memory for the discounting cue (information that the messenger was unreliable) disappears more quickly than memory for the message. Political campaigns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER5tYbFBTHg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xukbiS8q9s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV_uryFRPjY&feature=channel Language that reduces credibility includes: Ums, ers and other, ah, hesitation. Totally and absolutely excessive exaggeration. Kinds of qualifications that sort of lack assertion, I guess. Politeness, sir, that indicates subordination. I know it is silly to say this, but disclaimers do reduce credibility. Social attractive individuals are likable and physically appealing Physical attractiveness Propinquity (closeness) Similarity Congeniality Familiarity Cooperation PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS More physically attractive people are: Better liked Obtain better jobs Have more social power Have higher self-esteem Receive better grades Are more communicated with Are less likely to be convicted at court Are more successful Are perceived as more talented, kind, honest, intelligent and persuasive PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS Do you think that standards for physical attractiveness are universal OR vary with culture? CLOSENESS Propinquity effect = the more we interact with people, the more likely they are to become our friends Face-to-face communication is more effective than mediated SIMILARITY We like people that are similar to us For example: dress, look, hobbies, demographics, ideology etc. Imagine that you get pulled over by the cops. What excuse are you going to make? CONGENIALITY Compliments (social acknowledgement) - We have automatic positive reaction to compliments Such people reduce anxiety, stress, loneliness, and threat FAMILIARITY Mere exposure effect = the more exposure we have to a stimulus, the more apt we are to like it Conditioning and association COOPERATION Examples: o Robber's Cave Experiment (Sherif, 1961) o Jigsaw classroom (Elliot Aronson) o Good cop / Bad cop Physical attractiveness Propinquity (closeness) Similarity Congeniality Familiarity Cooperation Milgram's experiments Symbols of authority Titles Clothes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaPJxquuPJ8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4L3bm6m3KQ&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx- mYY&feature=PlayList&p=D94F4A0FBC23F0F5&index=0&playnext=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6urw_PWHYk Communicators can make themselves seem trustworthy by apparently acting against their own self-interest The trustworthiness can be increased if the audience is absolutely certain that the person is not trying to influence them Arguing against your self-interest (mentioning a shortcoming of your arguments, proposals, or products) creates the perception that you and your organization are honest and trustworthy ! This strategy is effective only if your weaknesses are genuinely minor ones ! Two-sided arguments To increase your credibility by confessing a disadvantage make sure you can decrease the value of this disadvantage. "When fate gives us lemons, we should try to make lemonade, not apple juice." Credibility Expertise Trustworthiness Goodwill Authority Social attractiveness Physical attractiveness, similarity, closeness, congeniality, familiarity, cooperation Mirroring, celebrity endorsement, two-sided arguments