I usually wonder about how to be more charismatic when I am in a room with other people and all of a sudden a new person enters and he or she draws all the attention to him or herself.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be seen and perceived as the wonderful and interesting person that we are instead of feeling bored in the middle of a group? 

Here is what I found out on how to be more charismatic.

What is Charisma?

According to Kurt W. Mortensen, author of The Laws of Charisma, charisma is when you empower, encourage, and inspire others. 

Charisma is the ability to:

• influence others to your way of thinking

• easily build rapport

• inspire people to achieve more

• persuade others to believe in you

• captivate and motivate others

• energize and move others by your passion and enthusiasm

• magnetize others attention

• lift and inspire others by your optimism

According to Gerry Spence, author of How to Argue and Win Every Time, charisma is a passing of our pure energy, our pure passion to the other.

It is easier to identify a person who has charisma than to define the exact qualities that the person displays. 

Here are some famous charismatic people:

Mother Theresa

Steve Jobs

Michelle Obama

Madonna

Hillary Clinton

Will Smith

Jennifer Lopez

Taylor Swift

Beyonce

Jennifer Lawrence

George Clooney 

Oprah Winfrey

According to studies such as the one conducted at the University of Lausanne, charisma can be taught and improved.

What skills could help us develop charisma and take our life to the next level?

How to be More Charismatic: 10 Critical Skills

There are many ways to become more charismatic.

If you focus on developing any of these critical skills you will soon be perceived as more charismatic.

Start with the skills that come easily to you.

Embrace Your Passion

What are you passionate about?

When you talk about something that you are passionate about you feel excited and full of energy. 

Moreover, everyone around you can feel your enthusiasm, which makes people pay more attention to you.

In addition, passion can be contagious.

Talking about your passion helps to radiate enthusiasm and energy.

If you are not sure what you are passionate about. You may find it helpful to read What should I do with my life.

Consider Your Appearance

We are not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover but we all do without even thinking about it.

Being aware and taking care of your appearance is one more way to increase your charisma.

According to Kurt W. Mortensen, author of The Laws of Charisma, here are some physical characteristics that impact how others perceive us:

• Adult faces with baby-type characteristics are judged as honest

• Excess weight decreases credibility

• High foreheads increase the perception of intelligence

• Old hairstyles decrease your rapport

• Taller people are more credible and have increased power

• Facial hair decreases trust

• Slouching posture disconnects people from you

A pleasing appearance is associated with trust and intelligence.

This doesn’t mean that you have to look absolutely perfect because this could make people feel disconnected because they think they are out of your league.

However, paying attention to how you look and the clothes you wear can impact your charisma in a positive way.

Inspire Confidence

Confidence is a skill that you build over time when you know that you can accomplish what you are expected to do.

Believing in yourself and your abilities will help people trust you and therefore increase your charisma.

Charismatic people are confident in their competencies, skills, and ideas.

In addition, they tend to influence and inspire the same in others, which makes them even more admirable. 

That said, another key ingredient of how to be more charismatic is to work on your self-confidence. Most importantly, how you speak can determine how people respond to what you say.

Therefore, if you want to command attention, gain trust and admiration, be sure to speak in a confident voice.

A confident voice is a sign of leadership, assertiveness, as well as security. 

Here are 10 tips if you need help Building Self-Confidence.

Be Present

Being present is a major secret of how to be more charismatic.

Perhaps you’re wondering what it means to be present?

Well, it means putting your phone aside and avoiding distractions that may prevent you from staying in the moment.  

When you are present, your listeners feel like they are the center of attraction.

Consequently, they are more likely to pay close attention to your message.

Therefore, learn to be more present when communicating with your listeners.

Fuel Your Energy

Feeling well and full of energy is an important starting point to be more charismatic.

Your energy level starts with your health. 

Make sure you take good care of yourself by:

• getting enough sleep

• eating healthy food

• wearing comfortable clothes

• keeping your stress level low

• exercising regularly

When you feel comfortable in your shoes, it is easier to be present and focus on your passion, goals, and communication with others.

You may argue that a coffee or a sweet snack can push your energy level up. This is true but keep in mind that the extra energy will only last for a short period of time.

Listen to Others

Listening intently means to give the other person your full attention. This can be difficult as there is always a phone or computer at the tips of our fingers.

We may also get easily distracted by our own thoughts.

When someone is sharing their thoughts and feelings, it can be tempting to share your own experiences.

However, try not to interrupt by allowing the other person to share his or her story before commenting.

This is important because failing to give the other person attention can make you appear selfish.

Being a good listener can help you earn other people’s  trust and admiration. 

In addition, stay present in the conversation by asking questions and sharing information that may be useful for the other person.

Make Eye Contact

One thing you may have noticed about charismatic individuals is that they always maintain eye contact.

With that in mind, another incredible quality of how to be more charismatic is to maintain positive eye contact.  

Maintaining eye contact during conversations lets the other person know that you are listening to them.

In addition, making eye contact is a great way of communicating that what someone is sharing is meaningful. 

Acknowledge Other’s Strengths

A good way to be more charismatic is to recognize that everyone is important.

Show that you care about others by praising their efforts and good work. 

In addition, make sure that the praise is genuine and specific. 

Saying good job, will not provide specific feedback but praising the completion of a specific project or how a difficult situation was handled will inspire others to improve their efforts.

Look for positive contributions or accomplishments to praise today.

This will let others know that you care and will encourage them to complete more work and become better at what they do.

Share Your Vision

When a charismatic leader shares his or her vision for the future, it helps others leave worry behind.

When we worry we are afraid of our future because it is uncertain and we focus too much on our past mistakes.

A vision if when we trust that we have the ability to build a better future.

Embrace Your Feelings

How does it feel?

We make many decisions depending on how we feel about a specific situation regardless of the facts presented.

The way we feel affects our way of thinking and behaving.

Another critical secret of how to be more charismatic is to validate people’s feelings and thoughts.

In other words, you need to make people feel good about themselves in order to make them enjoy being with you. 

It is important to note that people may forget what you wore, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Acknowledging other people’s strengths and worthiness can increase their love and trust towards you. 

Which of these 10 strategies to be more charismatic will you try first? Let me know in the comments below.