Charisma – Developing Creativity, Content and Connection on LinkedIn?

Lynnaire Johnston in conversation with S. Scott Mason – The Myth Slayer

This article is based on a LinkedIn? Live which you can view in its entirety by clicking the image below.

What is charisma?

Charisma is the ability to command attention to achieve a positive outcome. That definition explicitly excludes dark charisma, which is when you manipulate people to achieve an intentionally destructive outcome.

Do we all have charisma?

We all have the capability of exhibiting charisma. There are those who say either you have charisma or you don’t. That is untrue. We all have it within us.

Do we have the tools or confidence to express it? Do we take the internal risks needed to be charismatic? The answer to that, tragically, is no.

Do we prioritise it? Do we show up as embodiments of charisma to the detriment of so many professional lives and those who could benefit from being captivated by those who have charisma? The answer is no.

But all of us have it within us. And one of my missions in life is to ensure everyone can bring it out.

How do we know if we have charisma?

If you are able to express yourself passionately or excitedly, but ultimately for your own end, that’s not positive. You may be loud, big and dramatic, but that doesn't make you charismatic.

What's lacking with that is the impact outside of the self, unless it is a destructive one. So people may think they have charisma, or they may have something that looks like charisma, but that doesn't mean they do.

If you have natural charisma or you've chosen to develop it, you will know, because you can observe, if you have any self-awareness, how people react to you, or people will tell you.

If people say all the time that you're charismatic, maybe you are. If no-one has ever told you that you are charismatic, chances are you're not. If you are introverted or don’t express yourself in a dramatic, big-personality way, that doesn't mean you are not charismatic or that you cannot be charismatic.

Becoming charismatic involves, as a first step, the ability to shatter your myths about what charisma is. Charisma isn't just having a big, loud personality or being entertaining. A one-hit wonder on the Billboard Hot 100 may be entertaining and put on a good show, but if you forget about it, or if it has no impact on your life or anyone else’s, besides being a brief diversion, you're not charismatic. You're merely entertaining.

You are not charismatic if people forget what you say or who you are, or if when you talk or write, they skip over the content, or sit and listen but don't absorb what you have said.

If you are at a networking meeting and the minute you stand to speak people whip out their phones, ?start looking down, eating their meal or stare out the window – you’re not charismatic.

When you're done talking, if people have no questions or engagement, the chances are charisma is something you need to develop.

In addition, if you believe your words are enough to capture attention, the chances are you are not charismatic because you're not fulfilling one of the core charismatic components, which is connection of the brain to the heart.

How can we develop charisma?

Let's start with mindset. First, you need to shatter your stereotypes about what charisma is.

If you are an introvert and you think charisma is the same as being loud and dramatic, you need to shatter that myth and begin to think about ways in which you can use your introversion to be charismatic.

I had a friend who's in her mid-70s. I'm 6ft one and a robustly built person with a loud voice. She's a petite person with small bone structure. How can she be charismatic like me? She – and you – should not try to be charismatic in the same way as me. That's number one.

Number two: focus on connecting the brain to the heart. When you speak, connect the brain to the heart with a clear, concise message and a call to action, as well as expressing a range of emotions, not just the ones you're comfortable with expressing.

And finally, never look back once you've settled into who and what you are. That's who you are, so run with it. There may be minor tweaks to your technique as you go forward, but don't look back just because you suddenly feel insecure or because someone tells you they don't like the way you are.

I am the first to concede my speaking style is extraordinarily divisive. Some people love it, some people hate it. When I gave a TEDx talk, people contacted me to say how much they hated the way I presented or how much I needed to change. When you get that sort of feedback, my advice is to double down on it. That's who you are and it’s triggering a reaction.

Moving into practical, tactical steps, firstly do an assessment of your charisma that is as objective as possible. Record yourself speaking over and over, whether it's on video or live or whatever, then look at what you do well.

Don't focus on ums and ahs, filler words and whether you stammer, or the like. Focus on what you do well, because those are the things you want to lean into. Then get feedback from other people. Immerse yourself in speakers you want to be like and accept who and what you are.

Some people are quieter in their charisma, while others are loud and boisterous, or highly varied. Some have problems pronouncing words or stumble over them. Others are very simple in their approach and some automatically go deep. Some are shallow. Some are theatrical, while others can be charismatic by being wooden, if they play their cards right. Look at your charismatic gems and develop them.

And then, finally, take risks when you feel afraid to express or be something, particularly regarding emotion and humour. It may or may not work, but part of being charismatic is busting over the walls that keep you from fully, explosively expressing yourself and connecting.

I used to speak in a monotone . . . boring, bureaucratic and dull. After a lot of practice and hard work, fear and insecurity, I shifted my approach.

I have a programme called the Charismatic Olympian Programme which is an extensive, comprehensive programme to analyse why someone is not as charismatic as they want to be and then how to get them there. [Download the free ebook ]

Voices are part of charisma. If you've got a voice that appeals to people, they will listen. Sometimes it’s about the voice, and sometimes about the message. If the message is strong enough but the voice isn't, people will stick with it. The two are connected.

Leadership and charisma

Do leaders need to have charisma to be successful?

They don’t, but with a massive caveat ?. . . they may not need it if they have other things that will enable people to follow them.?

I have been putting up on LinkedIn a series of five short videos looking at various political and business leaders and asking whether they are charismatic Olympians.

One of them was Nancy Pelosi. My verdict about Nancy Pelosi is that she is not a charismatic Olympian. She has a lot of money and that's why people follow her. And one on one, she can be charming. Some people have noted she's been pretty successful at getting her agenda done.

That’s true, but what if she didn't have money? What if you were not living in one of the most affluent areas in California? What if you were, like me, born and raised in the backwoods of Kansas? You wouldn't have had access to that money.

So what do you have to rely on?

Let’s think about possibility. Charisma and why it's important is not just about what you have or what you have done. It’s about creating possibility. Imagine if, in addition to all of her money and the influence that can buy, Nancy Pelosi had charisma on top of it. She could have taken over the world.

Martin Luther King junior, arguably the most charismatic American of the past century, didn't have money because he came from the segregated south. However, because he had charisma, he was able to build a huge following, proving you don't need money. ?

You may have authority in your workplace. Or you may be able to intimidate people. Those things may help you appear successful. However, I believe we have an ethical obligation to be the most we can be in this world. And using authority over people or physically menacing them is not the way to fulfil that obligation or to leverage charisma.

How important is charisma on LinkedIn?

Here's Lynnaire Johnston on this topic:

How can we use charisma to overcome declining authenticity

Let's start with writing. Some people, no matter how much effort they put into it, are not going to be able to write to a standard that reflects well on them professionally. They may have problems spelling or not be good proofreaders. .

For some people, using Chat GPT may be an improvement because at least they can express things in a way people can read and that isn’t unprofessional. These AI tools are valuable for that. They may help people who are looking to stand out, to be thought leaders, to be on the cutting edge, or to develop human connections.

However, you need to be very careful how you use these tools. For instance, Chat GPT is getting to a place where it can imitate your written voice.

One of the things that can make you charismatic as a writer is being able to surprise the reader with unusual turns of phrase and words, or with personal stories, or with your own twist on stories that Chat GPT can't replicate.

I am in the process of writing a four-book series retelling Greek myths as business lessons. Why am I sure that Chat GPT will not be able to replicate my voice? Because I'm going out of my way to retell the myths in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting with very specific machinery and equipment. It is an alternative universe with an invented history in which the Greek gods and goddesses live and interact with mortals just like they would have in ancient Greek myths. Chat GPT is not going to be able to re-create my inner vision in my own voice. That's an extreme example, but there are many ways we can be clever and creative.

Ask yourself how you can use Chat GPT to elevate your thinking and your connection with your audience.

Through writing you can be potentially well positioned. However, LinkedIn is a social media channel and, like every social media channel, it has embraced a wide range of ways to gain audience attention. For instance, there are static images. Because those can be easily manipulated with AI, people may or may not pay attention after a while. Unless AI is really well done and tweaked by a smart graphic designer, it can become boring. However, the static images you post can actually be a place for charisma. When it comes to graphic images, particularly on LinkedIn, you see a lot that are dull, boring and unimaginative.

If you stretch, you can use those as an opportunity to be creative. We all have it in us.

When it comes to video, you can be especially creative. Everything I said about charisma applies even more in a video context. You don't want to necessarily present the same way on video as you do on a big stage at a conference, but if you practise enough you can tailor your presentation to the medium through which you're speaking.

A good video will stop people scrolling past. And with the new video feed that's just starting to roll out on LinkedIn, there's even more reason to capture your audience’s attention. You can use your voice or an action to get your message across on video – something that stands out.

Lynnaire Johnston : I was looking through some stats regarding our posts for the last three months and how well they had been doing. I was surprised to see that near the top of the different formats we put content into, video had a high engagement rate. I do a lot of videos in my garden and I'll talk about gardening, but I'll also talk about LinkedIn in the same video.

Chat GPT can be wonderful in many different ways, and is improving very fast, but it can't tell your stories. It doesn't know your experience.

If you're afraid to present what's unique about yourself because you think the public won’t want to hear it, you’re hurting yourself.

People won't remember your name necessarily, but they will remember that odd thing about you. And if you have something that's a bit different, you do stand out.

Suggestions for using charisma to guide people to buying your services

First of all, think carefully about what the benefit is, not just from the perspective of getting more business, but from a story perspective.

I use Greek myths as a leadership and charismatic development allegory because they are rooted in stories that have spoken to, on a primal level, the human condition for thousands of years. Some of these Greek myths are believed to be 6000 years old, such is their staying power.

That’s the way an idea can be communicated. Always tie in the value or the outcome of your goods or services to a story, ideally regarding a client. But if it's a new product and you don't have a client or a customer to talk about, then you can use a hypothetical story.

Make sure when you're telling a story that you're not the hero of it and that you give it appropriate emotional weight. Tell it in an arc, but with real feeling. People don't respond to hearing that your client’s business got better or they made more revenue. Quoting percentages and data will go right over the heads of most people.

However, if you talk about how your client felt, and how that made you feel, that will have an impact. If your client’s story led to success, herald their triumph. As the provider of the goods or services behind their success, be the person holding the trumpet.

Then, to close, connect that story to the people who are listening. For instance, if as a result of what you did for a client their revenue went up by 10%, ask your audience what they would do with an extra 10% – perhaps buy a new house?

To help you connect with your audience when you're telling a story, make eye contact if you can. If that feels a bit uncomfortable, look a bit to their left or to right.

If you're on video, make sure you're looking at the camera so it appears you're looking at your viewers, but check your eyeline is appropriately placed. It’s good to be expressive and passionate, but don’t overdo it. If you’re performative it can come across as overdramatic and fake.

One thing you might consider is to take a few minutes before you have such a conversation. Close your eyes, think about the story you’re going to tell and what feelings it evokes, and have that moment of peace. Once you've connected with those emotions, go and tell your story – you'll be surprised by the impact that can have.

Final tips from Scott

Don't be afraid to be bold, and don’t worry about how people will judge you.

If we care about helping other people, which is hopefully why we're in business, then we want to make a living by providing something of use to the world.

So be bold and don't be afraid.