By Pauline Shirley, Leaders On Fire

Listening to yourself, would you buy ideas or products from you?

“Confidence is the foundation of all business relations. The degree of confidence a man has in others, and the degree of confidence others have in him, determines a man’s standing in the commercial and industrial world”
– William J.H. Boetcker

Listening to a radio talk show recently, I was duly unimpressed by the way the expert responded to the questions and issues. So unimpressed that I was challenged to agree with her even though our basic beliefs are similar. The issue was politics. Always a challenging topic of discussion, it is also one of the three deadly conversation stoppers in polite company. Not that we equate talk shows with polite company. However, this was a polite talk show full of comity and even tempered voices.

In her responses, the expert carefully phrased her answers, ensuring the words she uttered were appropriate, sensitive and politically minimal. I understand, respect and admire her v deliberateness was so, well, deliberate, that she lost requisite credibility.

Credibility is necessary to successful communications. Confidence goes hand in hand with credibility.
How can you guarantee credibility and confidence in important interactions and interviews? The answer is simple: With passion and preparation.

Whatever you do, become the expert. Be confident in your knowledge. Develop a passion for your product or service. Passion, like enthusiasm, comes across in our conversations and is contagious. If you are not confident in your knowledge, then prepare fully and learn everything there is to know. With passion and preparation, you can communicate your message with credibility eliminating hesitancy and vocal uncertainty.

This article was written by Pauline Shirley, who presents, speaks and trains from rich leadership experiences. She is president of Leaders On Fire of richardson, Texas, whose mission is to prepare emerging leaders for today, tomorrow and the future. Ms. Shirley may be reached at 972-644-6430 or at LeadersOnFire@sbcglobal.net.