Charisma has been described as personal magnetism or charm. To me, charisma is all about an individual’s infectious positive attitude and personal energy, as projected through his or her body language.
People are the most charismatic when they are genuinely enthused, confident and upbeat about themselves and their topic. And as a leadership coach, I help clients develop their own unique brand of charisma.
I also help them fake it.
Trying to display confidence when you’re actually feeling uncertain, or to be seen as upbeat and positive when (for any reason) you are feeling the opposite, is a tricky thing. Here are two valid options: You can use a Method acting technique or you can work at the somatic level with a “powerful postures” strategy. The first require practice. The second takes less than two minutes.
1) Become an actor – or at least borrow one of their techniques
“The Method” refers to an approach to acting that draws on real but past emotions. For example, an actor preparing for a role that involves fear would remember something that had actually frightened him or her in the past, and bring that memory into the current role to make it emotionally valid.
As a leader, you have different goals than an actor in a play, but the sense of conviction and believability you want to project is fundamentally the same. For example, if you were going into an important meeting, and you wanted to exude confidence and charisma, here is how you might use “The Method” to help you prepare:
Think of an occasion where you were enthused, confident and successful. (This could be a memory of a professional achievement, but it doesn’t have to be taken from your business life. What’s important is identifying the right set of emotions.)
How leaders project charisma by Carol Kinsey Goman
Picture that past event clearly in your mind. Recall the feeling of certainty, of achievement, of clarity of purpose – and remember or imagine how you drew people to you as you embodied that state of mind.
Then, picture yourself at the upcoming meeting exuding that same positive attitude and personal charisma. The more you repeat this mental rehearsal – seeing yourself at the upcoming meeting, assured, confident and charismatic, the more you increase your ability to enter the meeting room with body language that is triggered by that authentic, positive emotion.
2) Hold that powerful pose
You know that the way you feel affects your body. If you are reluctant or depressed, you tend to round your shoulders, slump, and look down. If you are upbeat and assured you tend to hold yourself erect and expand your chest. But did you know that the reverse is also true? Your posture has a powerful impact on your emotions and on the way that others perceive you.
Research at Harvard and Columbia Business Schools, shows that simply holding your body in expansive, “high-power” poses (in the study they had subjects lean back with hands behind their heads and their feet up on a desk, or standing and leaning over a desk while planting their hands far apart) for as little as two minutes stimulates higher levels of testosterone – the hormone linked to power and dominance – and lower levels of cortisol, the “stress” hormone.
In addition to causing hormonal shifts in both males and females, the researchers found that these powerful postures lead to increased feelings of power and a higher tolerance for risk. They also found that people are more often influenced by how they feel about you than by what you’re saying. (Which is exactly why body language training is so effective for my executive clients!)
So the next time you go into a situation in which you want to project your most charismatic self, start by standing up straight, pulling your shoulders back, widening your stance and holding your head high. Then smile and stretch your arms out wide (or place them on your hips – “arms akimbo”). Just by holding this pose for a minute or two you will begin to feel surer of yourself and to project real confidence and charisma.
Troy Media columnist Carol Kinsey Goman, PhD, is an executive coach, consultant, and international keynote speaker at corporate, government, and association events. She is also the author of STAND OUT: How to Build Your Leadership Presence.
Troy Media columnist Carol Kinsey Goman, PhD, is an executive coach, consultant, and international keynote speaker at corporate, government, and association events. She is also the author of STAND OUT: How to Build Your Leadership Presence.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
