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.
Credibility is your reputation for being trustworthy—trustworthy to perform your work with excellence; to care about those you work with and for; to live by high ethical, corporate, and personal values; and to deliver on your promises. In short, your credibility is the degree to which others believe or trust in you.
Do you operate from a position of trust or credibility? That is one of the first things you should consider as you communicate. In the business world, you often start from a deficit of trust. As a result, one of your first goals should be to gain trust or credibility from colleagues, clients, customers, and other contacts.