For an audience to view leaders as credible, they must perceive them as knowledgeable, authoritative, confident, honest, and trustworthy. Leaders can achieve the first two through hard work and position. For instance, if they are giving a presentation on the future of energy production in the United States, they must know the industry and the market as well as something about politics and regulatory policy. They can learn the facts and appear knowledgeable. In addition, if they are senior executives of a major energy company, their audience will probably perceive them as persons with the authority to talk about energy. They can exude confidence by being well prepared and feeling comfortable delivering presentations. They can even create an aura of honesty and trustworthiness by effective delivery techniques, such as steady eye contact, easy rapport with the audience, being well prepared to answer questions, and saying, “I do not know but will find out for you” when they do not have the answer at hand. Thus, they can take specific actions to build greater credibility. By doing so, they can begin to establish a positive ethos.