SUMMARY:

It’s tempting to think that something like “charisma” is innate, something you are born with (or not). However, in this episode, CEO and author, Vanessa Van Edwards shows how we can purposefully dial up our own charisma to increase our effectiveness as leaders. In this conversation with GLN CEO and President, Tom De Vries, Vanessa previews her new book, Cues: Small Signals, Incredible Impact and shows us how aligning our non-verbal cues can tangibly and practically increase our personal leadership charisma.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

IT’S NOT JUST WHAT YOU SAY. “Cues” involve our body, our face, and our voice. They are powerful social signals that affect what we are trying to communicate.

LEVERAGE CUES FOR LEADERSHIP CHARISMA. “Charisma” is the quality that allow leaders to attract followers. Learning to purposefully use cues can help us tangibly increase our charisma.

CHARISMA HAS A FORMULA. Charisma for leaders is a mixture of warmth and competence—those qualities have associated cues that we can learn.

FIND YOUR FLAVOR OF CHARISMA. Leadership charisma is not a matter of being an extrovert (or introvert). It’s about the blend of warmth and competence. Everyone has their own “sweet spot”, or unique blend.

SOMETIMES INFECTIONS CAN BE GOOD. By learning to effectively and purposefully use non-verbal cues, we can use them like a thermostat to increase our warmth and/or competency. The result is that we can “infect” our teams with positive qualities (productivity, warmth, creativity, etc.).

LEARNING TO USE CUES IS NOT A “NICE TO HAVE”; IT’S A “NEED TO HAVE.” The non-verbal messages we send to others—either knowingly or unknowingly—trigger tangible reactions in them, which in turn can affect us. It’s a cycle. By learning to use them, we can trigger things like warmth, competence, and productivity in others.

THINK TWICE ABOUT THAT EMOJI. Devices like emojis and exclamation points send messages of warmth; be aware of how much you use (or resist using them). They affect peoples’ perception of how competent or warm you may be.

TAKE A BREATH BEFORE YOU SPEAK. The pitch of our voice affects our desire to be seen as competent. If it’s too high, we may come across as unsure or uncertain. Before you speak, take a breath—begin speaking on the exhale, using the lower register of your voice.

AUTHENTIC LEADERS MATCH CUES. Strive for congruence: matching your non-verbal cues to your verbal message. If you try to “fake it,” your non-verbal cues will “leak.”

RELATED LINKS:

Global Leadership Network

The Global Leadership Summit

Science of People

“Charisma Diagnostic” from Science of People

Vanessa Van Edwards YouTube Channel

Cues: Small Signals, Incredible Impact (Amazon, affiliate link)

The Science of Leadership: Impacting for Good (Vanessa’s 2020 GLS Talk; Paywall)

Erin Meyer – Communication: High-Context versus Low-Context