Charisma is defined by the Oxford Dictionaries as a “compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.” In the context of effective communication and public speaking, chances are that you have been enthralled by the likes of Martin Luther King, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, or Tony Robbins. What made those public figures charismatic is not their ability to speak in public (though that surely helped), it is their presence, personal power, and their warmth.
How do you develop those three attributes and become a more charismatic person? You do that by working on improving those attributes in yourself. Let’s briefly look at some action steps:
Presence
You develop a greater presence by building a greater self-awareness. Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to recognize oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals. Become sensitive, and responsive to the people and environment around you, as opposed to insensitive and reactive to changes in your space.
Personal Power
Personal power is based on strength, confidence, and competence that individuals gradually acquire in the course of their development. It is self-assertion, and a natural, healthy striving for love, satisfaction and meaning in one’s interpersonal world. To grow your personal power, grow your self-discipline. Discipline is the ability to do what you have to do when you don’t want to do it.
Warmth
The quality, state, or sensation of being warm, enthusiastic, affectionate or kind. This comes from genuinely caring about others and being considerate.
Which one of those qualified do you have, and which one should you probably work on improving?