Saturday, 11 June 2011

How to 'Do' Presence and Charisma!

Hi!


What is Presence? What is Charisma?


One of my favourite training exercises to make sure people have understood the meaning of a theme that we're exploring is to ask them to come up with a dictionary definition of a piece of language that we're referring to. A dictionary definition should be short and insightful. Something that you can frame nicely and neatly into your available brain space!




Try to think of how you would define presence? Or charisma? It's hard right? Some of the thoughts that can help here are to think of a person that changes the atmosphere or environment in a room they've just entered. Someone that gets attention without asking for it? Someone that has likeable magnetism? Someone that makes you instinctively want to get to know them. I used to talk about people like Sir Richard Branson and Lord Sugar and while undoubtedly they do have presence and charisma I think I used to give those examples in error.  The error might be that those gentlemen get that attention just because they're famous? That would be wrong. Others might say that their boss has 'it'. That could be wrong also because you shouldn't badge or award presence and charisma to someone just because they have hierarchical authority / seniority. No, people with presence, charm & charisma are people that are truly 'present' with you whatever else is going on. They are people that give total focus. A reverse example is someone you're talking with looking over your shoulder at someone else. Or someone that doesn't hold you with a sufficient amount of focused eye contact. Or someone that has a body language that is shifted away from you.


With that setting and getting back to the definition mentioned earlier, how do these fit with you?



What's Your Definition?
  • Exuding high-level professionalism in attire, posture, conduct, and verbal skills as well as displaying confidence, leadership, and personal power in a businesslike manner. (source: empowerment enterprises.)
  • The ability to engage, attract attention and focus of others in a positive way without requesting it directly - Kevin Green
When trying to develop your own presence, try asking yourself the following questions -

  1. Is your professional image enhancing or hindering your success?
  2. When you leave the room, what impression do you leave behind?
  3. Do you instill confidence and trust in the first few seconds of meeting someone?
'Presence' Coach to Hollywood stars, Patsy Rodenburg says that we’re all born with presence, but it gets lost as we struggle to cope with urban life, painful experiences and general busyness. This makes total sense as our lives get fuller and fuller and more and more things & people demand our attention.
We're all born with presence!

The great news is that we can get our presence back. Try the following next time your with someone.
  • Be with the person your with. That's it! No, I mean it... really 'be' with them! Look at them, breath, listen, focus on them, acknowledge them, ask them questions. Treat them like they're the only person that matters.
What do you get out of it? If you are really with the people your with then they'll love you for it, they'll remember you, they'll say nice things about you. they'll want to spend more time with you, they'll follow you. Sound like a good deal? Try it & let me know. Please leave me your comments and feedback, I'd love to hear from you.

Kevin


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