Over the years here at our institute, we have pondered the sources of charisma, and particularly whether charisma can be taught. Our conclusion? There are a number of sources of charisma, and a number of ways that it is displayed - and the latter, at least, can be taught as a public speaking lesson.
Projecting energy is one of those displays that can be learned. It is a surefire way to capture attention from an audience. More importantly, it is one of the things that people tend to be drawn to most in others. Here are three quick ways to radiate energy, develop charisma and keep people's attention focused on you:
Rehearse what you are going to say When I say "rehearse", I don't mean going through your presentation a few times. What I mean is that you must practice your speech over and over and over again until you know it by heart. I can't emphasize this enough! The more familiar you are with what you are going to say, the more confident and relaxed you will be. This means that you will need to practice more than three times. It might take 20 times or more of going through your presentation before you feel comfortable and know it well. In other words, go through it until you feel you've reached the point where you don't feel nervous in practice. To make your rehearsals feel more realistic, you can stand in front of a mirror while you give your presentation, or have your family members listen to you and provide you with feedback when you are done. Another great idea is to record what you say and then go back and listen to it to pick out your strengths and weaknesses.
Speak quickly, but with lots of pauses. Listeners will have to pay attention to stay with you. They are a lot less likely to drift into daydreams than if you speak slowly. In addition, you will convey much more energy and enthusiasm if you speak quickly.
Smile! When you look at people in your audience, try to smile! Let them know that you are comfortable with your material, you are happy to be speaking to them and you are confident. If you don't smile, you might send more of a negative message to your listeners.
Have fun! Try not to be too serious. The best speakers always seem to have fun. They may tell a joke or funny story at the beginning and insert little anecdotes as they go along, making you feel relaxed and comfortable. Laughter is important because it helps us relax and establish a rapport with the speaker. Once that connection is made, your audience will happily pay closer attention to you.
Speak slowly When speaking in front of a group, always remember that, "slower is better" when it comes to speaking rate. Speak clearly and take your time to pronounce all the sounds in words so that your audience understands your speech easily. If you speak too quickly, you may tend to slur over sounds or words or present too much information on one breath. This may make it difficult for your audience to follow you.
Projecting energy is one of those displays that can be learned. It is a surefire way to capture attention from an audience. More importantly, it is one of the things that people tend to be drawn to most in others. Here are three quick ways to radiate energy, develop charisma and keep people's attention focused on you:
Rehearse what you are going to say When I say "rehearse", I don't mean going through your presentation a few times. What I mean is that you must practice your speech over and over and over again until you know it by heart. I can't emphasize this enough! The more familiar you are with what you are going to say, the more confident and relaxed you will be. This means that you will need to practice more than three times. It might take 20 times or more of going through your presentation before you feel comfortable and know it well. In other words, go through it until you feel you've reached the point where you don't feel nervous in practice. To make your rehearsals feel more realistic, you can stand in front of a mirror while you give your presentation, or have your family members listen to you and provide you with feedback when you are done. Another great idea is to record what you say and then go back and listen to it to pick out your strengths and weaknesses.
Speak quickly, but with lots of pauses. Listeners will have to pay attention to stay with you. They are a lot less likely to drift into daydreams than if you speak slowly. In addition, you will convey much more energy and enthusiasm if you speak quickly.
Smile! When you look at people in your audience, try to smile! Let them know that you are comfortable with your material, you are happy to be speaking to them and you are confident. If you don't smile, you might send more of a negative message to your listeners.
Have fun! Try not to be too serious. The best speakers always seem to have fun. They may tell a joke or funny story at the beginning and insert little anecdotes as they go along, making you feel relaxed and comfortable. Laughter is important because it helps us relax and establish a rapport with the speaker. Once that connection is made, your audience will happily pay closer attention to you.
Speak slowly When speaking in front of a group, always remember that, "slower is better" when it comes to speaking rate. Speak clearly and take your time to pronounce all the sounds in words so that your audience understands your speech easily. If you speak too quickly, you may tend to slur over sounds or words or present too much information on one breath. This may make it difficult for your audience to follow you.
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