Communicating Persuasively and
Building Trust
Summary of Persuasion Techniques: Credibility
Professor Zakary Tormala
Executive Education
In his videos Professor Tormala discusses a variety of persuasion techniques. This
document provides a quick-reference summary of those tactics for your use as you
complete your Action Plan and create future persuasive communications.
Credibility
Tactic
Explanation
Heuristics
Ask questions
Begin your messaging by asking a question your audience
probably cannot answer, establishing yourself as the
knowledgeable one.
Convey confidence
Use language and nonverbal cues that indicate you know fully
what you are talking about.
Give reasons
Explain why your proposal is a good one; don’t assume the reasons
are obvious.
Be precise
Use specific numbers, not round ones.
Ease
Ask for small numbers of
examples
Ask your audience to think of one or two reasons why your
proposal might work, rather than a large number of them.
Use high-quality visual aids
High-resolution photos or videos increase ease of processing and
feel more persuasive.
Use easy-to-read text
Make sure your fonts and colors are conducive to quick
comprehension and mental processing.
Repeat your statements
Select your most important points and make them multiple times
during your messaging.
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