COMM 205 CHAPTER 1: ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY 2023-2024 Concordia University
CHAPTER 1: ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY
1. EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY FOR BUSINESS
COMMUNICATIONS
2. DESCRIBE HOW COMPETENCE/CARING AND CHARACTER AFFECT YOUR CREDIBILITY AS A
COMMUNICATOR
3. DEFINE AND EXPLAIN BUSINESS ETHICS/CORPORATE VALUES AND PERSONAL VALUES
4. EXPLAIN THE FAIR APPROACH TO ETHICAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS
READINGS RESUME:
1. In business situations, others make judgement about what you say, write and do
affects your CREDIBILITY
• CREDIBILITY IS YOUR REPUTATION FOR BEING TRUSTWORTHY
TO PERFORM YOUR WORK WITH EXCELLECE
DELIVER ON YOUR PROMISES
OTHERS TRUST IN YOU
• CREDIBILITY important for business relationships
THE IMPORTANCE OF ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS:
IF BOTH PARTIES CANNOT TRUST EACH OTHER NO BUSINESS DEAL CAN BE COMPLETED. TRUST
AND CREDIBILITY IS BASED ON YOUR REPUTATION TO DELIVER WITH EXCELLENCE THE
WORK/DEAL YOU WERE ASSIGNED. IF ONE PARTY DOES NOT HAVE CREDIBILITY, OTHER PARTIES
WILL MOST LIKELY NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. WE ALL WANT
RELIABLE PARTNERS THAT WILL RESPECT OUR TIME AND BE ABLE TO DELIVER WHAT THEY
SIGNED UP FOR. WE CANNOT PREDETERMINE WHAT THE FINAL OUTCOME OF ONE PROJECT
WILL BE, BUT THE CREDIBILITY OF ONE PARTY WILL BE OUR INDICATOR OF THEIR ABILITY TO
DELIVER QUALITY WORK WITH THE ASSIGNED TIME GIVEN TO THEM. IF ONE PARTY IS KNOWN
FOR ALWAYS UNDERPERFORMING AND NEVER BEING ON TIME, MY WILLINGNESS TO WORK
WITH THEM WILL BE NON EXISTANT SINCE THEIR WORK HISTORY/ CREDIBILITY DOES NOT DO
THEM JUSTICE.
BOOK ANSWER: YOU OFTEN OPERATE FROM A DEFICIT OF TRUST WHEN CONDUCTING
BUSINESS. IN THE POST TRUST ERA, SKEPTICISM IS HIGH. BY ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY, YOUR
COLLEAGUES, CLIENTS, CUSTOMERS AND OTHER CONTACTS WILL RESPOND FAR MORE
FAVOURABLY TO YOUR COMMUNICATIONS
In the business world, we often start from a position of deficit of trust.
Public often views companies and other institutions with less trust.
POST TRUST ERA: PUBLIC VIEW COMPANIES AS OPERATING AGAINST THEIR BEST
INTEREST/ EMPLOYEES VIEW THEIR BOSSES/COLLEAGUES SKEPTICALLY
2. CREDIBILITY:
COMPETENCE:
• KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS NEEDED TO ACCOMPLISH TASK/APPROACH PROBLEMS
AND GET JOB DONE
• JUDGE COMPETENCE BASED ON TRACK RECORD OF SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT
, CARING:
• Colleagues/clients trust you more if you care about them
• Understanding interests of others
• Cultivating sense of community
• Giving back/show generosity givers vs takers
givers: go out of their way to help others
takers: keep taking without reciprocating
• Caring considered amongst top 3 skills for leaders and managers
• Companies that care lower turnover rates
CHARACTER:
• Integrity and honesty when evaluating character
• Reputation for staying true to commitments made to stakeholders and adhering
to moral and ethical values
DESCRIBE HOW COMPETENCE/CARING AND CHARACTER AFFECT YOUR CREDIBILITY AS A
COMMUNICATOR:
COMPETENCE TELLS US IF YOU ARE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE TASK SUCCESSFULLY. IT
DEMONSTRATES YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS ACQUIRED OVER TIME AND HOW YOU WERE
ABLE TO APPLY THEM AND SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE YOUR TASKS TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
WITHOUT COMPETENCE WE CANNOT TRUST YOU TO COMPLETE QUALITY WORK.
-CARING ALLOWS OTHERS TO TRUST YOU MORE. UNDERSTANDING OTHERS NEEDS, GIVING
BACK TO COLLEAGUES/CLIENTS/ EMPLOYEES AND CULTIVATING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY
ALLOWS US TO WORK TOGETHER AND HAVE LOWER TURNOVER RATES WITHIN A COMPANY.
CARING FOR OTHERS ALLOWS US TO HAVE MORE TRANSAPRENCY IN BUSINESS, ALLOWING US
TO GROW AND HELP OUT OTHERS ALONG THE WAY. IF EVERYONE WAS JUST OUT FOR
THEMSELVES WITH NO ONE REALLY CARING, WE WOULD ALWAYS BE SKEPTICAL OF OUR
PEERS/MANAGERS/CLIENTS, THAT WOULD FOSTER AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE WE WOULD
ALWAYS BE WORKING AGAINST EACH OTHER RATHER THAN WORKING TOGETHER.
- CHARACTER IS YOUR REPUTATION OF STAYING TRUE TO YOUR COMMITMENTS ALL WHILE
ADHERING TO MORAL AND ETHICAL VALUES. SOMEONE THAT HAS A QUESTIONABLE
CHARACTER IS NOT SOMEONE CREDIBLE. WE WOULD ALWAYS BE WONDERING IF THIS PERSON
IS CUTTING CORNERS IN THEIR WORK, ADHERING TO MORAL AND ETHICAL VALUES.
CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ADHERING TO MORAL OR ETHICAL VALUES COULD HAVE LEGAL
REPECUSSIONS WITHIN A COMPANY OR INDUSTRY. THESE REPERCUSSIONS COULD AFFECT ONE
COMPANY’S CREDIBILITY.
AS A COMMUNICATOR IF YOU DO NOT HAVE COMPETENCE, NO ONE WILL TAKE YOUR OPINION
SERIOUSLY SINCE YOU DO NOT HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OR THE SKILLS TO SPEAK ON THE
MATTER. IF YOUNDO NOT CARE FOR OTHERS, OTHERS WILL BE SKEPTICAL OF YOUR INTENTIONS
AND DECISIONS AND WONDER WHETHER YOU ARE TRULY ADVANCING THE AGENDA OF THE
GROUP OR YOUR OWN. IF YOUR CHARACTER IS QUESTIONABLE, TRUSTING THAT YOU WILL
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