Charisma is a hidden social superpower that many successful people use every day, but few are born with natural charisma. Many of the most charismatic people in the world today had to practice to acquire the skills they have.
If you want to know how body language, the speed at which you speak, and a third almost hidden habit can affect your charisma,
1. Focus on Your Body Language
Did you know that the majority of communication is performed non-verbally? According to research, you take in over 50% of all information from a conversation by subconsciously analyzing body language.
As such, body language is integral to charisma. Imagine you’re in a conversation with a new acquaintance. They have their arms crossed and don’t look at your face.
What signals are they sending to you? Now, imagine the opposite— their hands are free, they look into your eyes, and pay attention. Which one of these behaviors is more inviting? The latter.
This is why open body language is so vital for developing charisma. It encourages conversation and makes you more approachable.
2. Express Vulnerability
One of the best ways to develop charisma is to express vulnerability when speaking. To understand the importance of vulnerability, we need to talk about the pratfall effect.
The pratfall effect states that individuals are perceived as more likable when they own up to their mistakes. If you mention a small mistake you recently made while talking to a new group of people, they’re more likely to view you in a positive light.
3. Speak Slowly
Do you know why some of the most charismatic politicians, such as Barack Obama and Winston Churchill, spoke slowly when making a speech? Slow speaking has been proven to improve your charisma in incredible ways.
By speaking slowly, you give your audience a chance to process what you’re saying, allow you to gather your thoughts, and add momentum and flow to your speech.
All of these factors dramatically improve your charisma. Occasionally slow down when speaking; the results will surprise you.
4. Work on Eye Contact
We all know that eye contact is vital for effective communication. Why? It all has to do with how what you see affects your brain. When you meet someone’s eyes, you activate mirror neurons in the other person’s limbic system.
These neurons mirror information that they take in, making them extremely important for developing a good repertoire with a person.
If you hold yourself well, other people will likely feel the same way. Therefore, you need good eye contact to become charismatic.
5. Develop Good Posture
Good posture is excellent for your health and vital to developing one’s charisma. Why is developing your posture so important for one’s appeal?
What type of posture is best for exuding a sense of charisma? Having good posture demonstrates self-confidence in your abilities and thoughts.
A study from Ohio State University found these results: prospective employers viewed individuals with better postures as more competent and professional.
Sit up straight and push your chest out; before long, your charisma will be noticed by all.
6. Control Your Nerves
As Frank Herbert famously said in Dune, “Fear is the mind killer.” If you want to be viewed as charismatic, you cannot let fear control you.
If others see that you can’t control your emotions, they’ll be less likely to trust your judgment and may ignore you altogether. To overcome fear, you need to take action, whether this is expressing your opinion in a meeting, joining a new club, or talking to new people.
Taking even a small step develops your courage, making the next step that much easier. By becoming more courageous, you’ll also become more charismatic.
7. Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
We all know that comparing ourselves to others is unhealthy, but did you know that it also makes you much less charismatic? Comparison is not merely the thief of joy; it can also be the thief of magnetism if you don’t learn how to control it.
Research has conclusively demonstrated that comparing yourself to others is an easy way to lower self-esteem and confidence. Losing these traits has terrible effects on your charisma;
you’re more likely to stagnate and go with the crowd instead of using your charisma to act as a leader. To break out of this cycle, you need to learn how to, as Warren Buffett says, keep an inner scorecard. Compare yourself to how you were yesterday, and your charisma will slowly improve.
