I have a new article on Return of Kings, discussing that mysterious thing known as charisma, and how you can get some of it:

We’ve all heard the term “charisma” many times in our lives—the animal magnetism that makes somebody  attractive to complete strangers, that twinkle in the eye that makes somebody seem utterly likeable and/or relatable, or alternatively the radiation of power and gravitas that makes people fall to their knees in awe. But do you have any idea of how to get it?

Most people would argue that you can’t “get” charisma; it’s something that you’re either born with or not born with, and those without have to be content to live the rest of their lives as the equivalent of a fart in church, never commanding an ounce of respect from anybody and being entirely ineffectual.

Wrong.

I used to think this way myself, but if you know me, you’ll know that I believe the vast majority of problems you have can be fixed with enough concerted effort—very few of your problems are etched in stone. Perhaps it is a side effect of working as a personal trainer and having to trawl for clients, but having to put in efforts to be a salesman has led to me to researching ways to increase my charisma. And, if my early adoption is any indication, it does work, and will only continue to work with practice.

…The emphasis is nonverbal cues: bear in mind that the majority of human evolution was done in times without verbal language at all, and thus your body language will project those three things far more than any words ever could.

Also bear in mind that being charismatic does not necessarily mean you have to be the stereotypical loud, boisterous, swaggering “Chad”. One can certainly have a quiet and dignified charisma—think Winston Churchill or Henry Kissinger—divisiveness of their politics aside, they certainly had their way with words—and those two examples also indicate that you certainly don’t need to be physically attractive to be charismatic.

Read it here