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13 Learning Charisma

R. Shane Tubbs

Seattle Science Foundation, Seattle, WA, USA

13.1 Introduction

The often enigmatic term charisma is important in influencing others and in that regard, useful in such endeavors as business, relationships, leadership, parenting, and academics. One might consider this characteristic as an external projection of one's internal security and confidence. As this is an important quality in a productive and elevated career in academia, the following chapter will define and give methods for developing and improving charisma.

13.2 What Is Charisma?

Charisma comes from the Greek word χ ρισμα meaning gift or divine favor, implying it is handed out by the gods. Wiseman has said, “Charisma is hard to pin down; we all have a sense of someone having it, but it is difficult to explain why” (Highfield 2005). In this regard, there are multiple and conflicting viewpoints on how to specifically define this term. Some have considered charisma as a behavior and others as a trait (Owen 2014). Antonakis et al. (2012) have defined charisma as “the ability to communicate a clear, visionary, and inspirational message that captivates and motivates an audience.” Kendall et al. (2000) defined charismatic authority as the “power legitimized on the basis of a leader's exceptional personal qualities or the demonstration of extraordinary insight and accomplishment, which inspire loyalty and obedience from followers.” Weber defined charisma as “a certain quality of an individual's personality by virtue of which he/she is considered extraordinary and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities” (Owen 2014). Wiseman believes charisma has deep evolutionary roots and that a person's impact on someone else's emotions can result in the affected person attributing charisma to the person (Highfield 2005).

Werrell (2013) stated that charisma is the rare quality that makes people like you, even when they don't know much about you and an intangible quality that makes people want to follow you, be around you, and to be influenced by the things that you say i.e. a personal magnetism. Cabane, author of The Charisma Myth‐ How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism, states that the three main traits of charisma can be broken down into three categories: presence, power, and warmth, and when combined, these three components produce strong personal magnetism. Owen (2014) stated, “Charismatic people possess a potent blend of attractiveness and presence that commands attention with an irresistible magnetic force.” Therefore, many have equated charisma with magnetism.

13.3 Learning How to Be Charismatic

Antonakis et al. (2012) asked the question, “So how do you learn charisma?” following this with the statement that many people believe that it's impossible to learn how to be charismatic and that charismatic people are born that way. The authors conclude that charisma “is not all innate; it's a learnable skill or, rather, a set of skills that have been practiced since antiquity.” However, other others, such as Wiseman, have estimated that charisma is half trained and half innate. Werrell (2013) believes that charisma is inborn in everyone but in different amounts. Cabane (2012) thinks that charisma is simply a learned and, specifically, nonverbal behavior. Antonakis et al. (2012) have trained professionals in “charismatic leadership tactics” (CLTs). They found that following such training, these individuals became “influential, trustworthy, and more leader‐like and that to persuade others, you must use powerful and reasoned rhetoric, establish personal and moral credibility, and then rouse followers' emotions and passions.” They concluded that if “a leader can do those three things well, he or she can then tap into the hopes and ideals of followers, give them a sense of purpose, and inspire them to achieve great things.”

McKay and McKay (2013) state that presence is a key component of charisma and to develop this, one must do the following:

 Be in the here and now.

 Be physically comfortable.

 Keep eye‐to‐eye contact.

 Nod to signal that you are listening.

 Ask clarifying questions.

 Avoid fidgeting.

 Wait two seconds before responding in a conversation.

 Don't think about how to respond while person is talking.

Antonakis et al. (2012) have identified key CLTs. Nine of these are verbal: metaphors, similes, and analogies; stories and anecdotes; contrasts; rhetorical questions; three‐part lists; expressions of moral conviction; reflections of the group's sentiments; the setting of high goals; and conveying confidence that they can be achieved. Three tactics are nonverbal: animated voice, facial expressions, and gestures. The authors mention that there are certainly other CLTs that leaders can use, such as creating a sense of urgency, invoking history, using repetition, talking about sacrifice, and using humor, but the 12 they describe can have the greatest effect and can work in almost any context. They also found that people who use them appropriately can unite their followers around their vision. They found that in 8 of the past 10 US presidential races, the candidate who used such verbal CLTs most often won the race. Also, these authors found:

when we measured good presentation skills, such as speech structure, clear pronunciation, use of easy‐to‐understand language, tempo of speech, and speaker comfort, and compared their impact against that of the CLTs, CLTs played a much bigger role in determining who was perceived to be more leader‐like, competent, and trustworthy (Antonakis et al. 2012).

Gustin (1973) has proposed that charisma is an explanation for scientific motivation. Wiseman stated that charisma is key to communicating science. Wiseman stated that charismatic people have the following three main attributes:

1 They feel emotions themselves quite strongly.

2 They induce them in others.

3 They are impervious to the influences of other charismatic people.

Charisma was investigated by an experiment performed by Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire, who first examined the theory of “emotional contagion” and charisma in a public arena (Highfield 2005). Via a national study, Wiseman had 200 participants fill out a questionnaire in order to measure their charisma (Highfield 2005). For his study, Wiseman asked participants to complete a 13‐item questionnaire designed by Friedman at the University of California, Riverside. Questions ranged from whether you like to touch people when you talk to them, enjoy being the center of attention, or can keep still when you hear good dance music. A clear relationship emerged between charisma ratings and questionnaire scores, suggesting, per the author, that individuals with charisma can project their own emotions to those around them (Geoghegan 2005). “Interestingly, those who scored highly for charisma and in the questionnaire on emotional contagion were also those that also did well in the competition,” said Wiseman (Highfield 2005). As a group, the FameLab applicants had an average score of 86, which is high, given that the mean of the US population is 71. “The finalists are especially high – as a group, they have a mean of 90,” said Wiseman, adding that the number one Toyota salesman in America scored only nine points higher (Highfield 2005). There were no significant differences between men and women or in area of the United Kingdom that they were from.

13.4 Improving Your Charisma

In order to be more charismatic, Reynolds (2013) suggests the following seven characteristics/techniques:

1 Be prepared.

2 Ask questions.

3 Use your hands while speaking.

4 Be genuinely interested in the people you speak with.

5 Develop passions.

6 Be energetic.

7 Be optimistic.

Wiseman has suggested adopting the following in order to improve your charisma:

 Use an open body posture that will help attract other people to you.

 Move around to produce the feeling of energy and enthusiasm.

 Speak in a clear, fluent, forceful, and articulate way that evokes imagery, energy, and action.

 Constantly alter the intonation and pacing of your delivery to maintain interest.

In general, use an upbeat tempo, only occasionally switching to a slow delivery to create tension and to emphasis key points (Highfield 2005). Wiseman has also proposed the following specifics for becoming more charismatic:

 General. Open body posture, hands away from face when talking, stand up straight, relax, hands apart with palms forwards or upwards.

 To an individual. Let people know they matter and you enjoy being around them, develop a genuine smile, nod when they talk, briefly touch them on the upper arm, and maintain eye contact.

 To a group. Be comfortable as leader, move around to appear enthusiastic, lean slightly forward, and look at all parts of the group.

 Message. Move beyond status quo and make a difference, be controversial, new, simple to understand, counterintuitive.

 Speech. Be clear, fluent, forceful, and articulate, evoke imagery, use an upbeat tempo, occasionally slow for tension or emphasis.

Owen (2014) has suggested the following five characteristics are found in a charismatic individual:

 High self‐esteem. Confidence, inner calm, self‐reliance, and independence

 A driving force. Purpose, personal values, and principles

 Sensory awareness. Empathy and emotional intelligence

 A vision. Positive attitude toward aim, belief, mental picture

 High energy. Passion, enthusiasm, commitment, determination

Cabane (2012) suggest the following three tips to increase your charisma in a conversation:

 Lower the intonation of your voice at the end of each sentence.

 Reduce how quickly and how often you nod your head during the conversation.

 Pause for two seconds before you speak.

13.5 Conclusions

Charisma still lacks a precise definition, although several authors have equated this term to magnetism. Regardless, charisma is considered a human characteristic that is often desirable. Multiple strategies and techniques have been suggested that might develop or improve one's charisma. However, there is some debate as to where charisma can be learned or if it is simply a variable trait.

References

1 Antonakis J , Fenley M , Liechti S (2012) Learning Charisma. http://hbr.org/2012/06/learning‐charisma/ar/1

2 Cabane OF (2012). The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism. London: Penguin Books.

3 Geoghegan T (2005) A step‐by‐step guide to charisma. BBC News Magazine http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4579681.stm

4 Gustin, B.H. (1973). Charisma, recognition, and the motivation of scientists. American Journal of Sociology 78: 1119–1123.

5 Highfield R (2005) FameLab and the secrets of an infectious personality. The Telegraph www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3341135/FameLab-and-the-secrets-of-an-infectious-personality.html

6 Kendall, D. , Murray, J. , and Linden, R. (2000). Sociology in Our Time. Scarborough, Ont: Wadsworth Publishing.

7 McKay B , Mckay K (2013) http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/11/06/the-3-elements-of-charisma-presence

8 Owen N (2014) Releasing Your Hidden Charisma. http://www.businessballs.com/freespecialresources/Charisma_Report.pdf

9 Reynolds S (2013) http://www.forbes.com/sites/siimonreynolds/2013/09/15/how-to-be-more-charismatic

10 Werrell, L. (2013). How to Develop Your Natural Charisma the Easy Way and Learn to Charm the Birds from the Trees. CEI Publishers.