Speak It Like You Know It - Be an Authority

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If you want to be an authority, you have to speak it like you know it. You can know everything there is to know in your industry, but if you don’t exude confidence, no one is going to trust you or respect you. When explaining concepts or voicing your opinions verbally or in writing, use authoritative language and take a stand. Nothing will destroy an expert’s reputation more than wishy-washy wording and indecisive stances on important issues.

For example, take a look at the 2 paragraphs below and choose who you think you would trust more on the issue of paid links.

Person A: The use of paid links has been a topic of debate for quite some time now. I personally believe that Google probably has a weakness in its algorithm and is now trying to instill fear in webmasters. Maybe it is their way to limit the use of paid links to manipulate search engine rankings. Honestly, I’m not really sure if I’ll use paid links but I think many people are afraid to lose their rankings in Google.

Person B: The use of paid links has been a topic of debate for quite some time now but it is now blatantly clear that Google has a weakness in its algorithm. They are trying to instill fear in webmasters to limit the use of paid links. However, we cannot let Google dictate how we run our business.

So who are you more drawn to listen to? You may not agree with everything Person B has to say but he is definitely worth listening to. Person A is indecisive and has no idea what he’s talking about. Would you want to listen to him again?

Some of the words you absolutely want to avoid in your writing or speech include the following: “I think”, “honestly”, “personally”, “maybe”, “I don’t know”. They simply do not help your cause of becoming an authority.

Use this example as a lesson and stop using wishy-washy language that will lose you points for respect. If you want to be an authority and considered as someone worth listening to, you have to be confident, opinionated, and true to yourself.