Strengthen your influence
without losing authenticity

Charisma combines communication, confidence, vision, sensitivity, and emotional expressiveness

By Angela Civitella

Edited August 8, 2026

Have you worked with someone who could make people pay attention the moment they entered a room? They may have communicated a clear sense of purpose, listened carefully, made colleagues feel seen, and expressed their ideas with conviction. That quality is often called charisma. It can help people build trust, explain ideas clearly, and motivate others. But charisma does not mean that everyone will like you—or that people should follow you uncritically. Used well, it supports collaboration and shared purpose. Used poorly, it can become manipulation, pressure, or a substitute for sound judgment.

Charisma can help people build trust, explain ideas clearly, and motivate others.

The good news is that charisma is not simply something people are born with. Personality and context play a part, but many of the behaviours associated with charisma—clear communication, active listening, confidence, empathy, and presence—can be practised and improved over time.

What Is Charisma?

Studies have shown that leaders who are willing to endure hardship are seen as more charismatic by their teams, and that people with a positive outlook are more likely to be seen as charismatic. Also, what people choose to say can affect how charismatic they are. Look at developing charisma as a personal journey and focus on one area at a time.

Charisma is nothing more than a set of traits and behaviours that, when put together, turn you into a magnetic, engaging personality. Plenty of research shows that you can learn and perfect these traits. The word comes from the Greek word ‘charis’, which means ‘grace’ or ‘gift’. A person who is charismatic is exceptionally engaging, likeable, trustworthy, and, in many cases, a bit ‘magical’. Larger-than-life personalities like Marilyn Monroe, Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, and Sir Richard Branson have all been known for their charismatic personalities.

People with charisma are assertive, confident, inspiring, and warm. They make a point of listening to others, and they have an innate grace that often stops people in their tracks. As such, it’s great to be charismatic in business, even if you are not in a leadership role. When you have charisma, people want to work with you. They’re drawn to your ideas, they trust your opinion, and they’re more likely to be influenced by you.

Charisma, Influence, and Ethics

Charisma can contribute to respect-based influence: influence derived partly from people’s identification with, respect for, or desire to emulate someone. Social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven included referent power among the classic bases of social power. Charisma can strengthen this kind of influence, but the two are not identical.

‘A charismatic leader should make a team more capable—not more dependent on the leader.’

Charisma is referent power, influence that you have because other people like and respect you. With that in mind, remember that charisma can be misused. Don’t use it to manipulate others into doing something that is against their interests. A charismatic leader should make a team more capable—not more dependent on the leader. Use charisma ethically:

• Be transparent about your intentions and constraints
• Invite disagreement and make it safe for people to raise concerns
• Give credit generously and accept responsibility for mistakes
• Do not use admiration, urgency, or fear to pressure people into choices that harm them
• Support independent thinking rather than demanding personal loyalty
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A charismatic leader should make a team more capable—not more dependent on the leader.

Build Presence and active listening

Presence is the quality of giving someone your full attention. It is often more persuasive than trying to appear impressive. A common misconception about charisma is that it is closely linked with physical attractiveness. Although this can help you to be liked in some situations, it’s certainly not a requirement for being charismatic. Ultimately, beauty is only skin deep, and your actions and beliefs can matter far more to thoughtful people than how you look. It takes time and effort to develop charisma, so pay attention to several areas.

Body language and ‘presence’ are important aspects of charisma. Presence is a bit different from body language: this has to do with the quality of your attention. When you have presence, you devote all of your attention to the person you’re with, and you don’t let your mind wander to something else. You give yourself, and your attention, solely to that person. Without saying a word, presence can transmit strength, warmth, and likability.

‘Active listening does not mean agreeing with everything someone says. It means demonstrating that you have accurately heard them before offering your perspective.’

To develop presence, start by learning active listening skills. When someone is speaking, make sure that you devote your full attention to what the person is saying, and don’t worry about what you’re going to say next. Do your best to stay in the moment and stay aware. Stand up straight, with your shoulders back and your head up when speaking with someone. Good posture not only makes you look confident and in control, but it also makes you feel this way.

• Put away distractions where possible
• Listen to understand, rather than planning your reply
• Ask follow-up questions that show you have understood the point
• Summarize important details before responding
• Allow a pause rather than rushing to fill silence
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Nonverbal communication matters. Aim for a comfortable, open posture, appropriate eye contact, and facial expressions that fit the situation. There is no need to perform constant confidence or enthusiasm; people usually respond better to calm attentiveness than to forced energy.

Make Others Feel Valued

Charisma is not mainly about being the centre of attention. It is often about helping others feel respected, capable, and included. Charismatic people make others feel great. Instead of focusing on their own success, they spend a great deal of time and energy trying to lift others up. By helping the people around them, they create an environment of positive energy that others are naturally drawn to.

‘Charismatic people make others feel great. Instead of focusing on their own success, they spend a great deal of time and energy trying to lift others up.’

You can do this by giving help and expertise whenever people need it. Be humble about your achievements and give people sincere praise and gratitude when they do something good. You can also help others by becoming a mentor, by coaching less-experienced team members, and by practicing random acts of kindness like bringing in muffins to the office or making coffee for a busy colleague. A genuine smile, when appropriate, can also help to make people feel good.

People will notice if you’re just “going through the motions” or are giving out insincere compliments. Make sure that you stay authentic as you work on your skills. Try these practices:

• Recognize useful contributions by saying what the person did and why it mattered
• Share information and expertise without gatekeeping
• Give credit in meetings, emails, and public updates
• Offer help when it is useful, but do not assume people need rescuing
• Mentor colleagues and create opportunities for them to be visible
• Show gratitude without exaggeration or flattery
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Sincerity matters. Generic praise and performative kindness can undermine trust. A brief, accurate acknowledgement is usually more meaningful than extravagant compliments.

Emotional intelligence and empathy

High emotional intelligence is strongly linked to charisma. Emotional intelligence is often discussed alongside charismatic leadership because effective influence depends on reading the situation as well as expressing yourself. A leader who can recognize their own emotions, notice others’ concerns, and adjust their approach is generally better equipped to build constructive relationships. Leaders with high emotional intelligence are aware of their own emotions and the emotions of those around them. This awareness helps them stay calm under pressure and give people what they need emotionally.

Empathy is an important part of this. When you understand other people’s perspectives, wants, and needs, you open the door to greater understanding and connection. Build empathy and emotional intelligence by keeping your emotions in check, especially when you’re tired or stressed. Also, pay attention to others – by picking up on their body language and what they say, you’ll be able to identify what they want and need, and then take the appropriate action.

• Noticing how stress changes your tone, patience, or decision-making
• Asking trusted colleagues for specific feedback about your communication
• Pausing before responding defensively
• Separating assumptions about another person’s motives from observable facts
• Considering how a decision may affect people in different roles or circumstances
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Empathy does not require abandoning standards or avoiding difficult feedback. It means communicating difficult decisions accurately, respectfully, and with awareness of their consequences.

Self-awareness and assertiveness

Charismatic people have confidence and know how to be assertive and communicate clearly. Charismatic communicators tend to make ideas easier to understand and remember. They connect facts, decisions, and tasks to a clear purpose.

‘Charismatic people have confidence, and they know how to be assertive.’

Start by building self-confidence. You can do this by using your strengths more at work, setting and achieving small goals, and developing the knowledge and skills you need to do your job effectively. Also, develop your public speaking skills so that you can speak clearly and confidently in front of a group. Before a meeting, presentation, or difficult conversation, ask:

• What is the central point?
• Why should this matter to this audience?
• What decision, action, or discussion do I need?
• What concerns or objections are likely?
• What evidence supports the proposal?
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Assertiveness is slightly different. When you’re assertive, you communicate your wants and needs while still respecting others’ wants and needs. When you’re assertive, you show personal power, but you use this power with kindness, respect, and dignity.

Assertiveness and self-confidence go hand-in-hand. Once you’ve built your self-confidence, you can work on assertiveness by recognizing your wants and needs in every situation and also by recognizing the wants and needs of others. Stand up appropriately for what you need, but do this respectfully. Use plain language. Replace abstract slogans with concrete examples. Where appropriate, use a short story or illustration to show the human or practical impact of an idea.

Confidence is not certainty about everything. It is the ability to state what you know, acknowledge what you do not know, and explain how you will proceed. Charisma is a set of traits and behaviours that help you appeal to others. Charismatic people are often successful, and people are naturally drawn to them. They retain top talent on their teams, and people listen to their ideas. Because charisma is a collection of behaviours, you can learn it. Work on developing empathy, self-confidence, and assertiveness. Strengthen it by:

• Building knowledge and skill in areas central to your work
• Setting achievable goals and reviewing what you learned
• Preparing carefully for high-stakes conversations
• Practising public speaking, facilitation, or presentation skills
• Taking on manageable challenges that expand your experience
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Avoid the Charisma Trap

Make sure you use your charisma the right way: don’t use it to influence someone to do something against his or her best interests. Charisma can motivate people, but it does not guarantee competence, good ethics, or good decisions. Teams should judge ideas by evidence, feasibility, and impact—not by who delivers them most persuasively. Healthy organizations balance inspiring leadership with:

• Clear goals and decision-making processes
• Honest feedback and psychological safety
• Shared expertise and distributed responsibility
• Accountability for outcomes
• Space for dissent, uncertainty, and correction
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The most sustainable form of charisma is grounded in substance: competence, integrity, attention to others, and a willingness to learn.

Key Points

Charisma is not a mystical quality reserved for a fortunate few. It is partly shaped by personality, but many of its most useful elements can be developed through practice. Focus on listening with full attention, communicating clearly, treating people with genuine respect, building competence, and using influence responsibly.

The goal is not to become the most magnetic person in the room; it is to help people understand, contribute, and do their best work.

Image: Austin Distel – Unsplash

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Angela Civitella, a certified management business coach with more than 20 years of proven ability as a negotiator, strategist, and problem-solver, creates sound and solid synergies with those in quest of improving their leadership and team-building skills. linkedin.com/in/angelacivitella/ • intinde.com • @intinde