Give credit to build your credibility

In public speaking, there are times when the best way to support the points you are making is by using data or quotations. Well-chosen quotations are certainly powerful, adding backup to our own opinions. Data comes in many forms – dates, figures and statistics, as well as visuals using graphs, diagrams, tables and more, and it can also be a powerful support for the ideas or opinions you want to sell.

Most of the time, these quotations and data are not our own. Often we are quoting other people’s work – or using other people’s work.

Imagine what would happen if we did use other people’s work – not crediting the source of our quotations and data?

We might very well get away with it, just as we might get away with all sorts of indiscretions, on-stage and off. But sooner or later it will be obvious to someone if not the entire audience that you are not crediting your sources. Your credibility will drop to zero, or maybe even into the negative.

It’s plain good manners to quote the source. Not doing so, really, amounts to theft. And audiences know that, they feel that.

Always quote your sources.

Your originality should be evident in the propositions you put;

and the power of your speech or presentation comes from that originality, that uniqueness.

There is no weakness in quoting the sources of your facts and figures or of your quotations. In fact you gain even further credibility, because it is obvious you are familiar with the information out there on your subject. You are knowledgeable or you have researched or both.

The process is easy, really – to be able to quote sources.

When you are researching, you need to start at the beginning of every book, webpage, or report. Before you start to take notes or store the content, note the details of the resource and its author. Then take the notes you need, and when the time comes to use them, if you are using them, you will have the details of the source ready at hand to quote…

and another reason to keep your audience engaged.