5 Ways to Ramp Up Your Charisma
I would like to start this discussion by giving you a mental exercise.
I’d like you to think of situations you’ve seen in your own life (and other people’s lives) where you have a reaction that equates to “Hey, this person isn’t as good as me, but they still have the results I’m looking for!”
Think of the times you’ve seen a guy/girl dating someone way out of their league. Maybe you know a person who, by your best evaluation, has none of the gifts you do, but still has a successful business and manages to get clients. Surely, there’s a person in your office with a job that someone else (or you) was more qualified for.
So, what’s missing here? What’s this secret weapon, tool or tactic these people have that you don’t?
Well, it’s called many things – the IT factor, the X factor, magnetism, charm.
But, for the purposes of this discussion, we’ll call it “charisma”.
Charisma is that thing that makes people want to listen to you, be around you, follow you, join your team, buy what you’re selling.
As you’re well aware, having a lot of charisma is a tremendously beneficial trait to have for your business and your personal life. So, let’s take a look at what you can do to build your own personal charisma.
1. Be energetic.
You may have noticed this about charismatic people – they have a tremendous amount of energy. They work all day and still have the energy to deliver a passionate address to their coworkers during a meeting.
Being energetic is a habit that you can cultivate. Even if you have to fake it when you begin, practice being more energetic in your life. When you meet people, shake their hand firmly. Have some passion in your voice. When you’re alone, you can wind down and relax. When you’re out in the world, make sure people are dazzled by the amount of energy you seem to have. You’ll land more clients, have better relationships and make your presence felt in your organization.
2. Put boundaries on your time.
Charismatic people don’t waste time. They’ve got places to be and things to do.
Guarding your own time is an extremely important characteristic to adopt if you want to be someone that people are drawn to. Don’t linger in pointless conversations. Excuse yourself politely if a phone call or a meeting has gone on too long. Once you’ve made your point, exit. The most precious resource you have is your time. Guard it fiercely. Successful people appreciate those who know how to value their time.
3. Spread good vibes wherever you go.
Charismatic people make the people they meet feel better about themselves and their situation. Make sure you’re always cheerful. Try to put a positive spin on a tough situation when you talk to people. Talk about solutions, not problems. Encourage people on their journey. Smile. Even when you’re feeling down, put on your happy face when you’re out meeting people. It will make a huge difference.
4. Learn to be direct.
If you want to be known as a leader, someone whose opinion is worth listening to, you absolutely have to be direct. When you’re talking to someone, look them in the eye. Not in an angry or challenging way, but in a manner that makes it clear to the other person that you are addressing them. Establishing eye contact is a crucial part of effective communication, and it will give you a much larger chance of having things work out in your favor.
5. Be courageous.
If you always play it safe, you’ll never get any spectacular results in life. To get where you want to be, you have to unafraid of ruffling a few feathers. Don’t back down from expressing your opinions in a group setting, even if your opinion is a controversial one. If there’s a difficult thing you’re trying to say to someone, don’t beat around the bush. To be a charismatic leader, you have to abandon your fears. People naturally rally behind someone who isn’t afraid. You might lose a few relationships and offend some people along the way, but you’ll be confident in the knowledge that the people you surround yourself with are there because they really want to be.
Charisma is a massive advantage in business situations. After all, when you get down to it, business is about people. And people respond to charisma.
There’s one thing that doesn’t build charisma – doing a ton of paperwork and sending out proposals, invoices and follow-ups manually. In fact, that is probably detrimental to your charisma, because most of it is soul-crushingly boring. It is why we created Dubsado – a fully featured business automation tool that takes care of nearly all repeatable aspects of running your company and managing clients. You can automate nearly all aspects of your client management – leaving you free to build those habits that will make you a magnetic, charismatic entrepreneur.