Charisma – Can It Be Faked?

Charisma: “a spiritual power or personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people,” according to www.dictionary.com.

It’s a quality in a person that makes you want to be around them, make them attractive to you in some way. The big question is – is it naturally-occurring or can you fake it?  

Coach, consultant and speaker Carol Kinsey Goman says yes, you can fake it and she gives 2 tricks how. Goman is the author of “The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help – or Hurt – How You Lead.”

“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,” writes Goman.

First, we take a clue for actors. “The Method” is a technique where the actor draws on his past experience to show the emotion for the scene at hand. In business leadership, Goman says one can draw on past successes to display what he or she wants to show his employees or peers.

Three ways to get prepared to do that:

• Draw on an occasion from either business or your life when you felt confident, enthused and successful.
• Remember how you felt. Picture it in your mind. Remember how your emotions drew people to you.
• Now, think of your up-coming event and think about how you are going to feel the same exact way. Think about how people are going to react positively to you. Goman says the more you practice this, the more likely you will be to convey this when the actual meeting or event occurs.

The second tip: hold that pose! We all know that our body language can subconsciously tell others how we feel – slumped shoulders, downcast eyes, and facial expressions. What you might not know is that by consciously putting your body into positive body postures, it can actually make you feel more positive and assured.

You are subtly programming your body to feel a certain way. Goman says studies from the business schools at both Harvard and Columbia have found that by standing over a desk with hands planted wide apart on the desk or by leaning back in a chair with your hands behind your head for two minutes each actually boosts testosterone levels in the blood.  This actually makes you more powerful and tolerant of risk.

These postures also decrease cortisol in your blood, a hormone associated with stress. So you are more dominant and less stressed out – ready for action!

Goman says before a big meeting, stand up straight, with hands on your hips and head held high and you will be ready to take on the world.

Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D. is an executive coach, change-management consultant and international keynote speaker at corporate, government, and association events. She’s a panelist for The Washington Post’s “On Leadership” column, a blogger on Forbes.co and a columnist for “the Market” magazine. To more information or to view videos, visit Carol’s website: http://www.SilentLanguageOfLeaders.com. 

You can also follow Carol on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CGoman, or “Like” her Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carol-Kinsey-Goman-PhD/105398069543578.