Got Charisma? If Not, Here's How to Get It

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Charisma is often defined as an elusive, unique, sometimes beguiling trait that characterizes famous politicians and leaders. In reality, however, it is a quality that impacts daily life. Some have it, some don’t—but broken down into its separate components, it appears to be available for cultivation.

Charm and Disarm

Tskhay and colleagues (2018) studied perceptions of charisma in everyday life.¹ Building upon a pilot study in which participants described a charismatic individual as both influential and affable—naturally leadership material but also approachable and kind—they defined charisma operationally by constructing and validating a measure of “everyday charisma” that goes beyond charismatic leadership.

Tskhay et al. proposed that charisma comprises two interpersonally focused dimensions: influence, or the ability to guide other people, and affability, or the ability to make others feel comfortable and at ease. They found, among other things, that charisma includes quantifiable dimensions distinct from other constructs, is observable and predicts real outcomes. In other words, it can be measured as an empirical concept but also impacts routine daily interactions.

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Focusing on its individual components, Tskhay and colleagues found that, interpersonally, affability predicted liking above agreeableness and extraversion. In other words, people were perceived as more likable if they reported that they were able to get along with other people and to make them more comfortable, and they smiled more often. They suggest these findings mean that agreeableness alone does not necessarily produce liking but that personal disposition toward affability and kindness may have more of an impact. They define affability as a combination of being pleasant and approachable, showing how positive affect creates interpersonal appeal within everyday contact.

Regarding how fast charismatic impressions are formed, Tskhay et al. found that people could perceive self-reported affability and influence within only five minutes of casual interaction. So, then, are we born with it? And if not, how is it developed?

Building Charisma

Shavit and colleagues (2024) in a piece entitled “The Charismulator” demonstrated that charisma can be cultivated and developed through intervention.² They note that although charisma is often viewed as an innate trait, within a leadership context, it is based on symbols, values, and emotions, which indicates an ability to be developed through intervention.

In their study, Shavit et al. examined how nonverbal communication including body language, vocal modulation, and facial expressions could enhance charisma. To facilitate change and demonstrate improvement, they used a virtual-reality training program incorporating such communication cues and studied the impact of audience presence in enhancing the effectiveness of the intervention through developing self-awareness and behavioral adjustments. Using online charisma assessors, they found significant improvements in perceptions of the charisma of the trained group compared to the control group.

How to Be Charismatic in Every Interaction

The practical definition of charisma combined with its development potential is good news for leaders and practical influencers of every aspiration. Far from being a magical quality possessed by only a few enchanting personalities, it is available to anyone inclined to develop its positive qualities, personally or professionally, with intentionality and practice. Positive change often begins with positive inspiration, which appears to be one of the hallmarks of charismatic influence.