4.Ask Questions – You’re new in town, take advantage of it! Ask people where best sports bar is, which museum to visit first, or where to find perfect margarita, and you’ll get ball rolling to meeting a new friend.

5.Compliment, compliment, compliment – You should never do this if it’s not sincere, but a compliment is always a great conversation starter. And, it starts conversation on a positive note, so people are already responding favorably to you. Tell waitress her shoes are great, compliment your neighbor’s car, let a clerk know she’s doing a great job.

Sadie Peterson has helped hundreds of people meet new friends. Her website, http://www.aroundtownsandiego.org, helps members meet each other and explore San Diego.

Character: Character is a little trickier, because it's based more on a values system than on how much you know about something. If you've researched your audience's demographics beforehand, you will have more of an idea what sort of issues they will or will not respond to. Even if you are presenting something that is antithesis of everything they stand for, you can still find ways to word your arguments so that you will appear credible and non threatening.

Rapport: Ah, rapport. Common experiences and interests are what help us as humans relate to each other. If your audience knows you share similar feelings with them, they will be more likely to respond to your message in a positive way.

As a society, majority of individuals tend to hold a pretty similar system of values that you can use to help you build your own credibility. Social and community values seek to attain such ideals as peace, freedom, respect, family security, and living a comfortable life. Personal values for individual show that most people wish to be ambitious, forgiving, responsible, and honest. By demonstrating that you stand for similar ideals as your audience, you help maintain a component of trust.

Once your audience has a built a foundation of trust and respect, your message will seep in a lot more easily than if you have little or no credibility. Keep in mind that you can't cruise through a presentation on credibility alone, but it will certainly help your case by leaps and bounds