Credibility
Ron Graham
with Curtis Bouldin, Everett Greene, Robert Kluck, Doug Milliken, Doug Morgan, Harley Myler, and Tim Wescott
How would you establish your credibility when addressing some issue to an audience (whether readers or hearers) who don't know anything about you? I feel that the for the engineer this is the most urgent rhetorical task, if not the most important.

Here's what other engineers say:

  1. Appeal to "higher authority." The authority must be relevant, more-or-less respected, and neutral for full effect.
    • licensing agency (if you have a license)
    • professional organization (helps if you have some sort of office)
    • degree-granting institution (especially if you have a higher-level or specialized degree)
  2. Referencing relevant accomplishments.
    • inventions
    • project milestones
    • articles
    • offices held
    • events or other milestones

Reasons for needing credibility:

  1. People want to know that you're qualified to answer the question at hand.
  2. People want to know whether or not you're a shill for some special interest.
  3. Some results don't "speak for themselves." Should we allow the resources to be allocated only to those results that DO?
  4. If you communicate clearly the consequences of what you've done, you might get an "attaboy." (Conversely, others around you may do good work with things and not with reports, and not be so lucky.)

Reasons for needing credibility (continued):

  1. It's not always a meeting of your peers:
    • classrooms
    • seminars (e.g. in libraries, adult education classes, etc.)
    • open meetings, where the engineer is a face in the crowd
    • Usenet :-) :-) :-)

Notes:

  • Be brief. Take too long and it sounds like you're bragging.
  • Let the audience be free to determine the merit of your opinion(s), and the sources of your credibility.

Food for Thought

Is there any relationship between our natural instinct to seek approval from others and our professional need for credibility? We know that for the former, we instinctively try to avoid pain. Since rejection can bring pain, we will try to avoid rejection, either by seeking approval from others or by avoiding them.

We also (generally) value the approval of family members and close friends most. In terms of credibility, whose approval matters most? There seems to be a relationship here for politicians (see "approval ratings") -- is there such a relationship for the rest of us? Remember that avoidance of pain is often at the heart of the need for acceptance; we also have to make decisions and take action on the basis of courage, confidence, and pride.

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