What makes a speaker charismatic?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines charisma as:

 

“a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure (such as a political leader)”

 

An article by Nick Morgan at Public Words on May 25, 2021 titled What is Charisma? says that:

 

“It is the expression of strong emotion, emotion directed outward, not inward.  It is focus – focused emotional meaning.  It is awareness of your audience, not obliviousness to it.  And it is energy in service to the moment, the message, and the audience in front of you.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A blog post by Clark Masterson on September 9, 2023 titled A Formula for Charisma says it is Presence + Power + Warmth (as shown above via a Venn diagram). Another blog post by Gary Genard at his The Genard Method on November 17, 2024 is titled Six Easy Ways to be a Speaker with Charisma. He advises to:

 

Make eye contact to gain trust with listeners.

Smile to increase everyone’s enjoyment.

Tell personal stories that listeners can relate to.

Talk to one person, then to that one person [at a time]…

Energize your voice so you reach every listener.

Enjoy yourself.

 

An article by Caren Schnur Neile on pages 16 to 18 of the July 2010 issue of Toastmaster magazine is titled Charisma: The Magic and the Menace. There also is an article by Richard Reid titled Charismatic Public Speaking: Techniques for Delivering Powerful Speeches and Presentations that Captivate Audiences. And there is another 18-page pdf article by Richard Reid at Pinnacle Wellbeing titled Become a More Charismatic You.

 

My cartoon of a speaker was adapted from this one at Wikimedia Commons – with an eagle from OpenClipArt.