The Charisma Myth Review by Olivia Fox Cabane review and summary for you based on where I thought it was interesting for my clients.
Firstly, the book is widely available from retailers in many languages. We started looking at the book in my Mastermind Class and I thought my blog was a great place to summaries and share.
Is Charisma born or learned?
To start with, we are introduced to the idea that Charisma can be demystified. The introduction suggests that I can turn charisma on and off and that it will make everyone in a room take notice of me. This critical business tool is essential for me to make it to CEO.
Charisma Demystified
Fox Cabane begins with the story:
Legend has it that British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and his political rival William Gladstone had a date with the same woman on different nights. When asked her impression of the two men, she said, “When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But after sitting next to Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was the cleverest woman in England.”
Forbes
“Guess who won the election?” she writes. “It was the man that made others feel intelligent, impressive and fascinating.”
She goes on to tell you that you can indeed learn charisma and she has written a whole book to explain what you should be doing and why.
She suggests that the simplest training points are
- charismatic posture
- warm eye contact
- modulating your voice to lower your tone
- nod less
- pause a full two seconds before you speak
Charismatic Behaviours
Presence
Be there. Really be in their presence and eliminate distractions. When someone really listens to us and is engaged fully, we are instantly attracted to them and feel their charisma.
Power & Warmth
The idea of brute force being power is now defunct but power with warmth can offer you the charismatic equivalent of a magic bullet! Above all, you should think about how you are showing your body language as powerful.
Mind over Matter
As your mind doesn’t know what’s real and what’s not, fake it until you really feel it. Put yourself in the right mental state and the rest will follow. Therefore Pavlov Dog your way to confidence!
Things to try
- Angel Wings – believe that everyone has angel wings before you meet them – assume positive intent and that people want to be good and kind to you. This really helps you to appear charismatic.
- Confidence Setting – like mind over matter, you need to think about a time when you have been confident. Then walk into a room. This will give you a boost in your confidence and set you up right for that frightening call or meeting.
- Toe Focus. This tip is about thinking about your toe when you are losing concentration in a meeting or a call. The reconnect to your body, your thoughts, your meeting will make you be involved fully in the conversation. It will increase your charisma – immediately.
Hope all these tips and ideas help. What do you think?