What is charisma?
Charisma is a Greek word that means “divine gift.” This term was first used by the German economist and sociologist Max Weber.
- Charisma can be called a set of personal qualities of a person that make it possible for him to influence others, make him a leader, and allow him to captivate people with him and his ideas.
- Those leaders who have gone down in history with a plus or minus sign cannot be called anything other than charismatic
Can influence others
- Mussolini or Hitler, Stalin or Churchill could have been the leaders of the nation , would we remember Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi, Mao or Golda Meyer, if they did not have charisma that attracts attention to them, convinces them of their opinion, leads entire peoples?
- But charismatic people are not only the leaders of a nation. In any team there is a generally recognized leader, to whom people are drawn and followed.
Films about charismatic people
So that you can clearly understand what charismatic people can be, we have compiled a list of excellent feature films in which this quality is very clearly visible in the characters of the main characters. Recommended viewing:
- "Areas of Darkness"
- "Vicious passion"
- "Social network"
- "The wolf of Wall Street"
- "The Devil Wears Prada"
- "Steve Jobs: One Last Thing"
- "Burlesque"
- "They smoke here"
- "Scam of the Century"
- "Risk Limit"
The heroes of these films are different people. All of them are far from positive characters, but their charisma is so visible that even while watching the film you begin to believe every word they utter.
Charisma is a useful quality for public people who cannot imagine their life without a career, noisy companies and constant business trips. For ordinary housewives, being charismatic is not at all necessary. But, if you want to be a modern lady, a successful mother and a wonderful woman, you definitely need to develop this useful quality in yourself! We hope that our tips will help you with this.
Signs of charisma
You can understand whether a person has innate charisma already in childhood. In games he is always the leader, in the classroom he is a recognized leader, in the yard he is the soul of the yard company. What are the characteristics of such leaders?
Signs
- Having individuality . This applies to character, abilities, temperament, and sometimes to hobbies and habits. If a person comes across as exceptional, in most cases he is charismatic, at least to the group of people in which he occupies a leadership position. He strives in every possible way to comply with what is expected of him, thereby maintaining his status.
- Leadership qualities , regardless of whether a person leads one class or an entire nation. The main thing is the willingness to take responsibility and make decisions that will support the team.
- Self-confidence , i.e. belief that the goal will be achieved. Even in the event of failure, a charismatic, self-confident leader does not give up, but learns lessons and looks for other ways to achieve the goal.
- Oratory data. Competent, figurative, emotional speech influences the mental and emotional aspects of those to whom it is addressed, evoking the feelings and perception of what is said required by the speaker. Let us remember Hitler and his pathetic and brilliant speeches, which convinced the whole nation of its exclusivity.
- Characteristic speech that carries a “zest” that is unique only to this person. An example is Lenin's burr, Churchill's , or the deliberately slow speech of Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
- Recognizable appearance. It is not necessary to have external attractiveness, the main thing is to find your characteristic external image and stick to it. Such originality makes a person stand out from the crowd and makes him recognizable.
Female charisma and male charisma: differences
- Of course there is. And it is due to our traditional ideas about the purpose of women and men.
- Male charisma is determined by our ideas about the inherent strength of a man, the instincts of a conqueror and hunter, and a straightforward leader. Recently, the formula of charisma for men includes the concepts of not only strength, but presence and warmth.
- Presence is understood as maximum concentration on one’s counterpart, and strength is understood as internal responsibility and the ability to make a decision. As for warmth, it refers to the ability to participate and support. It is in this complex that the above components add up to the concept of male charisma.
Difference by gender
- Women's charisma is characterized by qualities that are to some extent opposed to each other. So, self-confident and at the same time soft and feminine, with a firm, but at the same time light character, restrained, but femininely emotional at the right moments - this is a charismatic woman . She is charming and extraordinary, with inherent inner strength and harmony.
But charisma, charisma, charisma, charisma attracts you so much
“The most famous actress in history” - this is what they wrote about the French actress Sarah Bernhardt at the beginning of the last century. She was called the “divine Sarah,” but she was not a beauty.
She did not know maternal love, because her courtesan mother was constantly on the move and Sarah was raised by nannies. She grew up in a depressing and dreary environment, became withdrawn and for a long time could not read, write, or count. In addition, she was not entirely healthy, and doctors said that she would die soon from tuberculosis.
As a teenager, Sarah went to the Comedie-Française theater. “When the curtain rose, I felt that I was losing consciousness... and at that moment the curtain of my life rose,” she would later write in the book “My Double Life.” She became an actress, and almost immediately an incredible and unexpected artistic success came to her. It was explained by the extraordinary charisma of Sarah Bernhardt, and she herself said that “to achieve success, you need to be charming. Charm manifests itself in everything and nothing at the same time: in the energy emanating from you, in your gaze, in your gait, in your physique, in the sound of your voice, in your graceful gestures.”
The famous Coco Chanel, who did not have ideal features and shape, but was incredibly charming, also possessed a mysterious French charm. She was orphaned early, grew up in an orphanage - did it seem that good things could await her in the future? But she herself had no doubt that it would be wonderful.
Inner strength and self-confidence, the magnetic gaze of black eyes fascinated those around her. She became a fashion designer and literally revolutionized the fashion world. “We must preserve our own uniqueness: in movements, thoughts, actions,” she said. One of the journalists who interviewed her said that even at 80 she was almost desirable.
Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, was a charismatic leader. It seemed that he alone, thanks to his personal magnetism, set in motion the mechanism of a huge corporation. He had the gift of persuasion, the ability to motivate employees and a genius instinct. He was someone you wanted to look up to and reach the same level as him. He is called one of those people who changed the world for the better.
It’s interesting that when we talk about a charismatic person, we mostly mean a positive person who radiates light energy. But among charismatics there are also repulsive individuals who also have the characteristics of a leader.
For example, the same war criminal Hitler had the power of persuasion, thanks to which he forced his compatriots to believe in the exclusivity of the Aryan race and its special mission, which resulted in the death of 56 million people.
Anyone who knew him in his youth would never have thought that he was the future leader of Germany. Unpretentious in appearance, ignorant, friendless and hating everyone, the little man suddenly became an idol for his fellow citizens.
How could this happen, what is this hypnotic power of one person that could send the entire planet to hell? This issue has been the subject of many studies by historians and psychologists, including the book by British historian Lawrence Rees, “The Dark Charisma of Hitler: Leading Millions into the Abyss,” and the BBC documentary “The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler.”
Why aren't all people charismatic?
Becoming charismatic is problematic for people who have the following qualities:
- Pessimism , which prevents you from moving towards your goal.
- Fear of taking responsibility, which is unusual for a leader .
- Fear that prevents internal changes.
- Complexity that makes a person uninteresting to others.
- Lack of communication skills and the ability to listen to others. Without these qualities, it is impossible to attract the attention of even a single interlocutor, not to mention the team.
- Incorrectly set priorities , when a person tries to succeed in many areas at the same time, which only a few succeed.
- Excessive demands both towards oneself and towards others. It's emotionally draining and doesn't produce results.
How to develop charisma?
It turns out that charisma is not only given from birth. With desire and motivation, perseverance and clear goals, charisma can be developed. There are several ways to do this.
Charisma can be developed
- Learn public speaking. This can be done through trainings, courses, and various techniques . You can work with your voice and intonation with a teacher or in theater groups. It is important to broaden your horizons in order to speak not only beautifully, but also competently, becoming interesting to the audience.
- Be able to free yourself from negativity and negative emotions. There are also many ways to do this - from playing sports or a favorite activity to various techniques such as shooting at a photograph of the offender or screaming loudly.
- The ability to present yourself by developing your own style in clothing, hairstyle, conversation, and gestures. This can be achieved by carefully studying successful people and leaders, analyzing their performances and trying to understand how they differ from others.
- Correctly set tasks, with realistic stages and deadlines. Even the most insignificant intermediate goal must be completed completely and on time - then you are worthy of praise.
- Control your feelings and emotions, without reducing fun to a sabbath, sadness to hysteria, and joy to screaming.
- Learn to feel your interlocutor, listen and hear his words and mood. Observe your behavior during communication and how your counterparts behave, analyze words, gestures, postures that are unpleasant to you (and therefore may be rejected by others). Work on getting rid of such phenomena.
How to become a charismatic person?
You can understand how to strengthen your charisma from the previous text. You need to learn correct speech, master intonation control, and take public speaking lessons. It is important to find your individuality, style and that very “zest” that will be your distinctive sign.
But the main thing you need when you think about how to develop charisma in yourself is gaining confidence and conquering fear. This is the hardest part. Not everyone is capable of speaking in front of a group of people. Some people are born with this, while others have to overcome stage fright.
Charismatic individuals have charm. If nature has not endowed you with it, then you will have to learn. The main thing that makes a person attractive in the eyes of his interlocutor is the ability to listen and pay attention. If you are fixated on yourself and immersed in studying your own inner world, then there can be no talk of any charisma. We must learn to pay attention to those who are nearby. Sometimes it is difficult, but important. The power of charisma lies in the ability to present and “sell” yourself. This can also be learned, since there is a lot of information available now.