Well, what do you know? Even CBS News agrees with us. Take a look at this fascinating story, created during the 2012 US Presidential election season.
There are some very _______ notions that come out of studying Charisma in a lab, as you see in this thumbnail.
(used by permission)
As you can tell by now, I have some strong opinions about this story and this topic, but I don’t want to mention them until you’ve watched it. So please watch and tell us what you think. Then I’ll tell you what I think 🙂
Why is this important? Because it strikes at one of the root causes of both “Failure-to-Launch” and “Failure-to-Thrive” syndromes. And I think we can help you get over those here today.
So add your voice to the discussion below and help the light turn on for you and for someone else!
{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
Like I said in the beginning, if you want to use video marketing for your business your first concern should be creating high quality videos.
It is a sad day if elections are won by popularity rather than policy.
Then it’s been a sad day for about 224 years, at least in the U.S.A. :))
Seriously, though, it all comes down to popularity. Life is, in a way, high school.
Sadly, you are correct.
We are redoing our website to include the copy. Understanding that all is energy and the importance of projecting personal, maybe it’s time for a energetic video. Also, choosing copy that emotionally gets the attention is important to. (Where have I heard that before). Thanks, Steve for the video.
I think you’re right, Larry!
Steve,
I often refer to the media measurement of Charisma, the “Q” factor… which I admit, I know little about.
I thought it very interesting that 3 of the 4 men interviewed were college professors and had very little Charisma or a Q factor. Maybe they realized their calling was in academia which can be boring. The entrepreneur though (who taught workshops for the Charisma Challenged) had a lot of Charisma.
Oh, dear. I’m so resisting the urge to say “those who can’t do….”
No, no, no. I won’t do it!!
I liked this piece. I like to study psychology and also I’ve studied facial expressions so it was very interesting to me. Can charisma be taught? Interesting question…. maybe a good niche there!
Um, you may want to check this out 🙂
http://www.yourvideocharisma.brainyvideo.com
I think of charisma as the “it” factor. He/she is that person who walks into a room and suddenly you can feel the electricity change and everyone gravitates to this person. Besides the famous people in this video, I know someone who is this way and I’m married to him! I am in awe all the time. They are people who have a way of sincerely and genuinely making us feel good about ourselves just by eyes connecting, an arm around the shoulder, or a firm hand shake. An interesting topic, definitely.
It is said of Bill Clinton that when you meet him, he treats you as if you are the only human being within a country mile. Surely a powerful way of connecting on an individual basis.
I see charisma as “friendly confidence”. And on video, it seems that energy and passion need to come through as well.
The only thing that is hard for me to grasp is “intention”. I can feel my intention when in front of a group of people. But I have trouble projecting it in front of a cold, soul-less camera.
Intention is a more subconscious thing. Not something to even worry about once you hit the record button.
You have your content to get through and your objective to communicate it as effectively as possible. That’s the part that is under your conscious control. I think of intention as the desired outcome for your audience.
So for example, your objective is to communicate clearly and your intention is to have them receive it and change their thinking about schools or real estate . That outcome isn’t within your control. That’s why it remains on the subconscious level, or maybe even spiritual level.
The camera is just an intermediary device, like the telephone. Do you despair that you can’t get your points across because the phone is a cold hard object? Not likely. The phone has become invisible now.
Your job is to make the camera as invisible as the phone.
I see.
But the phone has feedback from the person on the other side (unless one is leaving a message, in which I usually ramble on unintelligibly…).
Interestingly, I find myself feeling more “interactive” with the camera when I flip the little screen so that I can see myself while I’m talking. It’s very strange to do that because it’s distracting too.
Maybe the issue is having to go through a lot of content in one go instead of the short thoughts that one can convey in conversation…
Dorothy Sarnoff was a Broadway star opposite Yul Brynner as the first Anna in “The King and I.” She became one of the foremost image consultants in NYC, and taught me this hugely important lesson: You aren’t speaking to a camera. You are speaking to a person who is “deep within the camera. Imagine a little old grandma sitting alone in her living room. Talk to HER; what would you say to HER?”
The “cold, soul-less camera” you describe CONTAINS your grandmother — or your ideal client. Shift your paradigm and watch what happens.
Thanks, Tom. I’ll try talking to Gran’ma next time. 🙂
And, by the way, I’m always impressed when I see actors and actresses bare their soul in front of a camera. I am amazed at how they can do it.
How awesome that you got that great piece of advice directly from a Broadway Star!
And as we discuss in Audience Builders Blueprint, she’s sitting several feet away so that you have to project enough energy to get her attention and hold it 🙂
Thanks, Tom. That’s really helpful. Talking to my grandmother was one of the easiest and most joyful experiences I’ve ever had.
Awesome, BJ! Would love to see your work…maybe you’d link us to it?
What I meant was that from now on while doing a video or speaking in front of a live audience, I’ll try talking to my grandmother. Unfortunately, she’s no longer alive but I remember her so well and she had a profound influence on my life. She’s mentioned briefly in my memoir.
Got it, BJ. Go get ’em.
In traditional 5 Element Acupuncture, charisma is the Fire Element: warmth, laughter, humor, heart love expressed through the eyes, a drive to connect with everyone, vulnerability, joy…the downside: sexual issues, inappropriate sexual relationships or walled-off from intimacy; or you are ‘out there’ when on show, but disconnected at home. If you look at all charismatic people, they are Fire types. We all have the Fire Element within us, sometimes low Fire, depleted, wounded…it cannot be taught (it’s more than learning a few hand gestures and voice training!!!), but it can be balanced. Obama is not a Fire type, he is Metal (he has values; we trust his integrity; he is a man of principle). He didn’t get in on his Fire charisma. He got in because in these times of low principle and corruption, we needed someone to stand for what is right.
Those elements are really interesting. All of them are key to bonding with your audience. The shadow side seems to be all of these elements taken too far.
Thanks for this fascinating angle!
True. If you look at people like Gandhi, Louis Armstrong, Clinton, Reagan: you see incredible Fire Charisma — you just see them and they bring a sense of joy; they say that even Gandhi’s enemies loved him! Many actors have the strengths of their Fire Charisma well-developed, which is probably why they got into acting: they love people, they want to reach as many people as possible. Charismatic people always give you a feeling that they genuinely love people — and they really do!
And yes, balance is always the challenge for all of us. For instance, having a strong charismatic Fire person as an interviewer, is not ideal (all they want to do is talk and be center stage). So the interviewer in your video was appropriately not charismatic — that’s why she is a good interviewer. She doesn’t take our attention away from the person she is interviewing.
There are many ways to bring our charismatic Fire up: what you are teaching I am sure; Resonance Repatterning (that reconnects us to our natural Fire energy before it got damaged); 5 Element Chinese Acupucture….
I love that you’re looking at the balance of energies between the two people. I have to say I have not heard of acupuncture as a way of making you more charismatic, but we are all energy…
May be it’s because people think that charisma can be taught that we get the politicians who think they’ve learned. Surely authenticity is the key.
But there is no such thing as “universal charisma”. One man’s dessert is another’s poison.
And now we’re getting closer…
GREAT clip! Made me think, do I have Charisma? Around certain people, I believe that I do however around strangers or “challenging situation” ie. new client meeting, not so sure. I know Steve mentions that you can learn Charisma and I believe this to be true however if you had “positive” experiences while growing up and were put in situations where you had to meet new people and were considered “outgoing” I think this is also innate. Super interesting topic and as someone who does trainings in front of large groups AND who has scored LOW in terms of “emotional connection” in certain trainings, this topic is very interesting to me.
Thanks again for the video!!
Jaime
I may have been a little sloppy is saying you can learn charisma. I really think you can learn presence. But if you read below I’m making a more nuanced argument and trying to be very clear on the difference between the two, since only one of the two are under your control.
Hi Steve,
Just watched the CBS video and charisma and for the most part agree. True, honest charisma along with sincere warmth is invaluable. When it seems forced as in Romney’s case we all see it immediately and have the natural reaction to not trust that person. I have a hard time trusting him even though I done really know him. Another president go the nick name slick willy but in the final analysis we all seemed to be charmed by him and ultimately trust him. Many of us have charisma be have a hard time getting it to come out on film. We/i need training and practice.
Let’s say you have presence in real life, and you’d like to translate that into charisma. I think that’s more than fair to say.
When someone consciously attempts to twist themselves into something they are not, their presence suffers and so does their audience. Thus the Romney factor takes over and the results are never pretty.
But I’m using words to describe a process that’s very difficult to put into words. On some level, all of us have a little Romney in us. The problem was that he chose to play a Role he was neither comfortable with nor was anyone else.
In fact, we all have many more great Roles to play than we suppose we can be good with, and still be ourselves.
Charisma can be many things. For instance, I did not think the first clip showed anything. In fact that glitch made me like him, relate to him as a person not a politician. I got the feeling I got to see the real person behind the facade. Then I am not an American. 🙂 So while it is presented as he lost his charisma, to me he gained some!
Charismatic is something different than charming too. To me that is. Maybe it is more related to being fully there in the moment? Then that is something that can be partially taught.
Very insightful! It’s not about charm, though charm is often present. It’s required to be in the moment, but then what?
So in fact, the comment that he “lost his charisma” is sort of correct, because charisma is an effect you have on others. It’s not something you manufacture. This relates to what I was referring to above in discussing goals vs. intentions.
So the point is that at the end of the day you can’t really teach charisma, because by definition charisma is in the mind and heart of the beholder, not in your mind. It’s not really where you should be putting your focus of attention. It would be like trying to bend spoons with your thoughts. Not very smart. You need to be placing your focus of attention on the things you can affect, like your own actions and thoughts.
Ah, but you can teach presence. Presence is the gift you can bring to the party. Charisma is when your gift is accepted. And in a business setting, influence is usually the result of that exchange.
So I also wanted to say that the “sociometer” is kind of a goofy science project. Since Charisma is in the mind of the beholder, you’d need a machine that measures emotions. So you don’t need a little wingy-dingy that watches you wave your hands, you need an fMRI machine to look at the emotional centers of the brain of your audience.
And the other thing that makes me a little crazy about TV reporting is that they always find a way to turn the story negative, leaving the audience with unnecessary anxiety. Who’s to say that charisma is a an inherently bad thing? Without it we would have no holidays, no families, no businesses. Our quality of life would be dim and dull.
No, on balance the world is a better place with charisma. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without it.
I have been doing videos for the local pet shop and the big fortune 500. There is nothing worse than a CEO saying I well do all the talking. 80% of the time is a bad video in the making. This is why we like to use actors it makes for a great video and saves you money (that’s right I said money) think of it this way you have a crew of about 6 and maybe you are renting a grip truck. The CEO who cannot get his line right and can not remember his name (I swear it has happened) the actors nock it right out of the park. I like to suggest looking at a Disney time share video. Do you see any men 356 pounds no, do you see people missing some teeth NO. I am lucky I only have to do the jobs I want to. So look at all the videos made for fortune 500 companies you will see how they did and do the same.Actors will work for much less then you think, jest be fair with them. May the videos Gods shine on you and have some fun. HL
I agree. Actors can be great if they are well-used. I love working with them. So much fun!
On the other hand, a business owner who knows his audience and has great presence and wants to connect with them is the coup-de-grace!
Wow, Steven, that was really useful information for those of us that make videos. Thanks for sharing it!
Interesting! Seems to me 2 critical elements of charisma might be 1) to set up an environment you’re not just comfortable in but really enjoy an element of being in it, 2) while eagerly sharing something that is important to you/holds meaning for you.
If you’re uncomfortable and eager, you come off as an odd duck or trying too hard; if you’re comfortable but blasé about the topic, you’re boring. So for introverts, using video to reach lots of people is the perfect alternative to slow death by public speaking.
“slow death by public speaking” Nicely put. And I agree. Video is the plu-perfect medium for introverts.
Your environment can certainly help. Often you don’t get that luxury, though. You may be on someone else’s turf being interviewed.
Being passionate about your topic may be the most foundational aspect of charisma.
You also need certain little pieces of technical knowledge so that you don’t inadvertently do something innocent that comes off looking odd. For instance, did you know that touching your face makes you look uncertain?
I just learned this myself. And I bring it up because I did it recently in a sales video when I suddenly had an itch. Ugh. So being “real” is important, but you also need to be a pro if you possibly can.
Thanks for sharing this video. We all have charisma at different times. A lot of it depends on our mind set.
So interesting! Thanks for posting this. I am going to save this clip for viewing again. I need to review this a few times and make a plan for myself. I have always been camera shy, but don’t mind speaking live. Lots of great tips here.
Well, I’m wondering if some of the so -called charismatic personalities we see on our screens are quite so charismatic during major family crises, out of the public eye? My guess is it’s a public persona, learned early in life, something to slip into as naturally as one slips on a jacket and tie. Also, it might not hurt to have grown up in circumstances where one was always assured of having something to eat, something to drive, decent housing, presentable clothing and haircuts, and where there was $$ for tuition. (Seem like things would-be Presidents tend to have access to.)
But what I really love are stories of under-privileged people acquiring charisma the hard way–and making it! Most of us are never going to run for president or have TV cameras following us around.
And yet, most of us have comething to contribute, and need to learn how to share that in a way that makes people hear it, and want more of us, and of what we have to offer.
I also love a good rags-to-riches story. And I think it’s good to be clear about the difference between charisma and persona. Both are impressions of you created by the receiver, but charisma are the qualities inside persona that give persona the mantle of authority.
For many business owners, it may come down – frankly – to knowing your competitors are seeing results from Video. You know it’s something you should be doing, too. You might have even experimented with video but didn’t see immediate results and were so disappointed, you gave up.
With a bit of practice you can become more charismatic. The following tips are what can increase your appeal & make you really shine like a diamond.