A considerable amount of psychological research lays behind the concepts in The Credibility Pyramid. Some of this research is highlighted here.

Caring

Showing that there is common ground between a speaker and the audience is a fundamental way of increasing your credibility as a speaker, according to one review of research on communication. Tubbs, S. L., and Moss, S., Human Communication, (1994), McGraw-Hill, 313-314.

Studies on the communication of risk have consistently shown that showing care and concern for the audience is a significant contributor to perceptions of trust and credibility. Covello, V., et al, Risk Communication, (1997) 17, 43-54.

Enthusiasm

Research from the late 1908s shows that when we use everyday, enthusiastic, and vivid language we are perceived as better communicators. Collins, R., Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, (1988) 24, 1-18.

Focus

Explicitly stating your key message, rather than implying things from a vast array of material, is supported by research on the impact of being direct with your audience. Tubbs, S., Speech Monographs, (1968) 14-18.

Knowledge

Research in the mid-1960s showed that the knowledge status of individuals varies according to the audience. How the audience perceives an individual’s command of a subject is directly related to how much they believe that person. McCroskey, J., Quarterly Journal of Speech, (1969) 55, 169-167.

Evidence for the value of providing images, rather than text-based material, comes from several pieces of research. These show that image based representations of facts and ideas have greater functional value than what are known as ‘propositional’ (list-based) representations. Eysenck, M. W., and Keane, M. T., Cognitive Psychology: A student’s handbook, (2000), Psychology Press, 261-262.