Charisma.

Most people think it’s something you either have or you don’t have.

But…

That’s a myth.

As Olivia Fox Cabane tells us in The Charisma Myth, research shows that we can ALL learn how to dial up our charisma and become more magnetically connected to those around us. It’s a skill we can learn.

How?

By practicing the three essential components of charisma: Presence + Power + Warmth.

Rule #1 of charisma? PRESENCE. In fact, Stanford’s Emma Seppälä tells us: “Charisma, simply put, is absolute presence.”

Absolute presence. Think about and feel into that for a moment. What is NOT present in this atmosphere?

SMARTPHONES! The chirps from the latest push notifications causes us to become like Pavlov’s dogs that learned to salivate by a conditioned environment.  You know what that tells the person you’re with? That you just don’t care that much about them. And, that’s a great way to kill all connection and charisma.

The second facet of charisma? Power. People are constantly, subconsciously detecting power or a lack thereof. Therefore, if we want to dial up our charisma, we need to dial up our personal power. The easiest way to do that? Your body language. Stand tall, breathe deeply, smile.

The third facet of charisma? Warmth. We may be present and powerful but if the person with whom we’re interacting doesn’t think we’ll use that power for their good then… no charisma. So… Dial up your presence and your power AND your warmth. How? Well, easy. Truly care about the other person. Have a sense of goodwill for them. Want what’s best for them. And beam that love their way.