How Body Language Increases Your Charisma
Let’s be honest — in business, charisma matters. A lot. And charisma is about both impactful communication and body language, as well as content and expertise. I have seen many qualified people passed over for promotions (or lose contracts or fail interviews) simply because they couldn’t communicate convincingly.
Max Weber, the father of sociology, coined the term “charisma” to describe inspiring leaders. Originally from the Greek kharisma, meaning favor or divine gift, charisma has also been described as “part trustworthiness, part presence, and part sex appeal.” However we define it, we recognize charisma when we see it. We call someone charismatic when they somehow convince us to accept their vision — whether in business, social, or political environments.
What Charisma Means from a Nonverbal Communication Perspective
As a body language coach, I define charisma partly as complete alignment between what you say and how you look and sound when you say it.
Body language communicates your emotions and motivations, likes and dislikes, interests and aversions.
Whether you are applying for a job, pitching an idea to a venture capitalist, or presenting a new business strategy to the board — you appear most charismatic and convincing when what you feel internally perfectly aligns with what you express verbally. At this point, your body language automatically becomes congruent with your words.
That’s why my coaching sessions always begin with questions about emotional intent:
What is the core message you want to communicate?
How do you really feel about it?
How important is it to you?
Why should others care about your opinion?
Charismatic leaders, speakers, and influencers use a wide range of positive nonverbal rapport cues. They show genuine smiles, maintain positive eye contact, use varied gestures, orient their bodies toward the people they engage with, touch others appropriately during conversations, and more. And anyone can be coached to include more of these positive signals — and reduce negative ones — in their interactions.
Don’t Get in Your Own Way
Here’s something else I’ve learned about charisma:
Sometimes, you simply need to stop getting in your own way to be truly impressive.
I once worked with a head of marketing preparing for a major corporate presentation. He was charming, intelligent, and had a great sense of humor. In informal settings, his body language was congruent and expressive. But he was also somewhat introverted. Put him on stage in front of an audience — and he became a nonverbal disaster.
You might be in a similar situation. When speaking with friends, you naturally use your hands and facial expressions to describe events or objects. You smile, frown, shrug, and use broad illustrative gestures. But during important business presentations, you may become anxious or self-conscious. As a result, your usually eloquent body language suffers.
If this sounds familiar, you may not need to learn new nonverbal techniques. Like my client, you may benefit more from learning to relax and focus on your audience rather than yourself — allowing your natural personality and body language to speak for you.
We tend to follow charismatic leaders because they are perceived as confident and optimistic. This is where the mind-body connection becomes powerful.
Your Body Language Influences Your Emotional State
You already know that how you feel influences your body language.
If you feel depressed, you tend to slump your shoulders and look down.
If you feel optimistic, you tend to smile and stand upright and proud.
But did you know the opposite is also true?
The way you stand, your gestures, movements, and even facial expressions influence your emotions by sending signals back to your brain.
In several experiments, participants were asked to smile and then shown images of different events. The smiling participants reported liking the images and even feeling excited. When participants were asked to frown in similar experiments, they reported feelings of anger and irritation.
Other studies have shown that smiling is not only a result of happiness or satisfaction — it can also trigger physiological changes such as body temperature shifts, heart rate changes, and skin resistance responses. In other words: smiling can make you happier.
Charisma Tips
If you want to be seen as your most charismatic self, try these simple but powerful tips:
- Start aligning your verbal and nonverbal communication by focusing on the emotional intent of your message.
- Stand straight, pull your shoulders back, and keep your head up. This posture alone can increase confidence.
- Add a genuine smile to positively influence your brain and mindset.
- Send consistent nonverbal rapport cues throughout the interaction.
