10 Most Charismatic People
1 - Ralph Lauren, Founder of Polo Ralph Lauren
What to practice: The art of telling an interesting and engaging story.
How to practice: Work on engaging others with the stories you tell. When you tell a story you have to be the spotlight (like it or not), charismatic people have the innate ability to tell a story that may not be that great, yet it still engages the listeners.
Why this works: Work on controlling the silence and speech breaks as well as the emotions connected to each character, location and overall context. If done with passion, enthusiasm, and creativity every listener will be hanging on your every word.
Tip from Author: “You need conviction to speak with authority. Energy needs to be enthusiastic. You need to vary your vocal tonality, eye contact, and gesticulations. You need to match them to the context.” – Charlie Houpert, Chapter 11
Charismatic Model: Ralph Lauren is an excellent storyteller. He is able to be an effective storyteller by controlling the pace at which he shares his stories. Although he may only be talking about why he loves designing high fashion clothing, he story-breaks, amplifies his tone, and he uses hand gestures to leave the listener wanting to hear more from him. This shows that even if you don’t have a great story to tell, it is the manner and gripping flow of it that really do the appealing.
Interesting Facts about Ralph Lauren:
1. Polo Ralph Lauren has over 300 stores globally
2. Polo Ralph Lauren is the primary designer of uniforms for the US Olympic team from 2008 through 2020
3. Ralph Lauren got his start in fashion as a salesperson at the Brooks Brothers store on Madison Avenue in Manhattan
Daily Wise Words from Ralph Lauren:
Tip of the Day: Tell a story to everyone you talk to today. Allow your storytelling ability to grow. You will get better at pace and interjecting emotional context one story at a time.
2 - Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T
What to practice: Gesticulations. Big hand gestures and wide-open body.
How to practice: Gesticulations help show your enthusiasm for what you are talking about. Big gesticulations allow for openness in body language and body language is 90% of communication. An open chest area and palms signify vulnerability; this in turn allows people to trust you more. The bigger the gesticulations, the bigger the perceived importance.
Why this works: These gestures are critical to your charisma because you become physically and metaphorically more open. Individuals will engage more intently to your words due to your big movements.
Tip from Author: “Pick just one gesticulation you will incorporate for the rest of the day. Decide what emotion it best conveys and use it whenever the opportunity arises.” – Charlie Houpert, Day 9
Charismatic Model: Randall Stephenson is the charismatic CEO of AT&T, who is currently presiding of the mega merger of Time Warner. His gesticulations are grandiose and consistent. His movements engage the people he speaks with. His gestures often match and personify his words.
Interesting Facts about Randall Stephenson:
1. Stephenson has been CEO of the company (AT&T) since 2007
2. Stephenson lived in Mexico City for 7 years, while he was the Director of International Finance for SBC (SBC Communications was acquire by AT&T in 2005)
3. He is a national board member of Boy Scouts of America
Daily Wise Words from Randall Stephenson:
Monday: “The lesson of the internet is that no audience is too small.”
Tuesday: “Right now our focus is execution.”
Wednesday: “You’ll see a good balance of dividend granting, buybacks and reinvestment in the company.”
Thursday: “You got to have content to allow you to innovate.”
Friday: “Your first priority as a leader is to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.”
Saturday: “I think we’ll be able to at least meet the expectations for synergies. I just feel we were very conservative in most of our estimates.”
Sunday: “The main issue that business face today is a skill set mismatch.”
Tip of the Day: Use big and open hand gestures to make your point. Have your hand gestures be the actions for the words you are using in conversation. You’ll be amazed how receptive people will be to your moving body language.
3 - Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc.
What to practice: Slow your speaking.
How to practice: Slow down your speech. Control the pace of what you are saying.
Why this works: The majority of people will not cut you off when you are speaking to them unless they’re an exceptionally rude person. Control the pace at which you speak.
Tip from Author: “While you’re slowing your speech down today, you can also bring your attention to filler words. Cut them out. Allow silences to exist between your thoughts.” – Charlie Houpert, Day 26
Charismatic Model: Tim Cook is a very powerful individual. He is CEO and chairman of one of the best companies and most recognized brands on planet Earth. Not only that, he took over as the company’s leader after the death of their historic and fellow charismatic founder, Steve Jobs. Cook is eloquent at controlling the pace at which he speaks. This allows him to be in-control of where the conversation is going as well as accumulate engaged listeners.
Interesting Facts about Tim Cook:
1. In 1998, after some reservation about joining Apple, one meeting with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs made Cook immediately quit his job to come onboard
2. Tim Cook is an avid hiker and bicyclist
3. Tim Cook’s heroes are Bobby Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Daily Wise Words from Tim Cook:
Monday: “History rarely yields to one person, but think and never forget what happens when it does. That can be you. That should be you. That must be you.”
Tuesday: “Part of social progress is understanding that a person is not defined only by one’s sexuality, race, or gender.”
Wednesday: “Life is fragile. We’re not guaranteed a tomorrow so give it everything you’ve got.”
Thursday: “The sidelines are not where you want to live your life. The world needs you in the arena.”
Friday: “It’s about finding your values, and committing to them. It’s about finding your North Star. It’s about making choices. Some are easy. Some are hard. And some will make you question everything.”
Saturday: “Some people see innovation as change, but we have never really seen it like that. It’s making things better.”
Sunday: “Let your joy be in your journey – not in some distant goal.”
Tip of the Day: Slow down your speech today to the point that you have control of the conversation. Play with it; see what works for your delivery.
4 - Rupert Murdoch, Former Chairman and CEO of News Corporation
What to practice: Shining on others. Ask questions within conversations that give you keen insight into their character makeup. Offer genuine compliments that foster attraction towards you from others.
How to practice: Charismatic people are often very charming individuals. This charming effect comes from their unique ability to shine onto others. Asking questions that get a unique and opening response allows you to see where someone is coming from. Once that nugget of information is known, highlight it and glamorize that quality to others.
Why this works: By lifting others up, we in-turn lift ourselves up. Ask. Listen. Compliment. Share. These must ALL come from a genuine place, otherwise it will lose its meaning and your charisma will be lost.
Tip from Author: “Spend the day going overboard in displaying your genuine interest in others.” – Charlie Houpert, Day 22
Charismatic Model: Rupert Murdoch exemplifies shining on others by highlighting other’s successes rather than his own. He credits much of his great achievements to the editors, managers, columnist, executives, and media personalities that all contribute to the overall success. Not solely his own. This allows him to share what they do best while knowing that their great success means great success for himself and his overall businesses.
Interesting Facts about Rupert Murdoch:
1. He was born in Australia
2. His father was an English-Australian newspaper mogul
3. His company, News Corporation, owns more than 800 news and media companies in over 50 different countries
Daily Wise Words from Rupert Murdoch:
Monday: “The buck stops with the guy who signs the checks.”
Tuesday: “It’s best just to be as transparent as possible.”
Wednesday: “The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow.”
Thursday: “When you’re a catalyst for change, you make enemies – and I’m proud of the one I’ve got.”
Friday: “Money is not the motivating force. It’s nice to have money, but I don’t live high. What I enjoy is running the business.”
Saturday: “When I go into Downing Street they do what I say; when I go to Brussels they take no notice.”
Sunday: “Bury your mistakes.”
Tip of the Day: Ask questions that make your conversational peer (or peers) really think. Ask questions that garner positive emotional responses. Ask questions that will give you a shining insight into who they actually are. If you do these things people will want to be around you due to the feeling they have in your presence.
5 - Damon "Dame" Dash, Co-Founder of Roc-A-Fella Records
Photo From rhymeswithsnitch.com
What to practice: Dress
How to practice: People who actually practice 'charisma on-command' realize that their perception is reality. What you wear has a lot to do with how you feel and how others feel about you.
Why this works: This is not to say that if your clothing choices aren’t the best that you cannot be charismatic, it just means that your charisma goes a lot further when you’re looking dapper.
Tip from Author: “Clothes + context + subjective bias of onlooker = impression you make.” – Charlie Houpert, Day 8
Charismatic Model: Damon Dash is a fashion icon. His clothing choices often speak loudly on his behalf. He was a hip-hop fashion culture innovator in the early and mid-2000s when he began to wear tailored suits and impeccable watches rather than sports jersey and diamond necklaces.
Interesting Facts about Dame Dash:
1. Dame Dash is the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records along with Sean Carter (Jay Z)
2. Dame Dash’s cousin is actress Stacey Dash
3. Dame Dash worked in barbershops before founding Roc-A-Fella Records
Daily Wise Words from Dame Dash:
Monday: “In order to be successful, your focus has to be so intense, people think you’re crazy.”
Tuesday: “Don’t expect anyone to give you anything. If you really believe in something, then fight for it.”
Wednesday: “I hustle for my family. I hustle for my last name. I don’t hustle for my first.”
Thursday: “Read the rich list in Forbes. When you see all these people with all different kinds of money, it will make you feel inadequate and keep you focused.”
Friday: “I came from the streets, and you got to hustle in the streets. That’s why I always have a chip on my shoulder. No one ever gave me anything.”
Saturday: “If you gonna work hard, you should work hard for something you want.”
Sunday: “Jobs are for lazy people who don’t want to invest in themselves.”
Tip of the Day: At your earliest convenience go purchase a nice article of clothing. Whether it be shoes, a jacket, a blouse or a shirt; buy something that garners compliments and perceived value.
6 - Joe Maddon, Manager of the Chicago Cubs
What to practice: Energy. Charismatic people exude a vast amount of energy. Energy is the selling and most authentic characteristic of a charismatic person.
How to practice: First, break your state of “not having the energy”, you create your own energy. It is your conviction to being outgoing that will make you charismatic.
Why this works: Energy is contagious, charismatic people push their energy onto others and it is one reason why people want to be around them.
Tip from Author: “Embody a range of emotions and everything you do becomes more engaging. How to feel what you want to feel, when you want to feel it. If I had to sum up the energy aspect of charisma in one sentence it would be this: feel what you want your audience to feel because emotions are contagious.” – Charlie Houpert, Chapter 5
Charismatic Model: Joe Maddon is one of the best managers in all of professional baseball. He may not be the best at the X & O’s of the game, but he is far and away the best at managing his players and getting the absolute best out of them. His ability to do that comes from the energy he exudes into them, allowing them to play their best. He keeps his energy up and excited because “emotions are contagious”, this rubs off on his players and coaching staff and they are able to go out and compete at a high level.
Interesting Facts about Joe Maddon:
1. Joe Maddon bikes between 60-100 miles per week
2. The high school football stadium and baseball field in Joe’s hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania are named after him
3. Under Joe Maddon’s management with the Chicago Cubs, the team won a World Series. Their first in 108 years!
Daily Wise Words from Joe Maddon:
Monday: “Do simple better”
Tuesday: “Don’t ever permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure.”
Wednesday: “Try not to suck”
Thursday: “I like them to think”
Friday: “In our world, for me, every day is Friday night.”
Saturday: “You have to have a little bit of crazy to be successful. I want crazy in the clubhouse every day. You need to be crazy to be great. I love crazy. I tell my players that all the time.”
Sunday: “I’m not superstitious. I’m just a littlestitious.”
Tip of the Day: Bring a transmittable energy to everything you do and to everyone you meet with today. This can be done by smiling more, complimenting more, interjecting more and paying more attention to conversational details.
7 - Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States of America
What to practice: Smiling. Smile & laugh more.
How to practice: Smiling is the outward embodiment of happiness. It is hard to knock a smile off of someone’s face and it is even harder to keep that person from being happy.
Why this works: Practice your genuine smile by making yourself laugh. Real smiles should resemble the shape of a slit watermelon; they are hard to confuse. Authenticity is hard to fake and it is easy to spot.
Tip from Author: “The important part is that you keep this top of mind and make a good faith effort to smile at as many people as possible. You’ll see the impact smiling can make on the beginning of an interaction and learn to calibrate yours to get the best results.” – Charlie Houpert, Day 3
Charismatic Model: President Barack Obama has one of the most genuine smiles you’ll ever see. His smile is palpable and contagious and on top of those two things it is easy to see how natural and genuine it radiates off of his face. It is hard for someone to see his smile and to not smile him or herself. It’s his unique charismatic touch that makes him so beloved by people from all around the globe.
Interesting Facts about President Barack Obama:
1. Barack Obama was the third African-American United States Senator since Reconstruction (1866)
2. As a teenager in Hawaii, he worked at Baskin-Robbins
3. While President of the United States, he had an outdoor basketball court constructed on White House property
Daily Wise Words from President Barack Obama:
Monday: “No party has a monopoly on wisdom. No democracy works without compromise.”
Tuesday: “Even when folks are hitting you over the head, you can’t stop marching. Even when they’re turning the hoses on you, you can’t stop.
Wednesday: “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.”
Thursday: “Money is not the only answer, but it makes a difference.”
Friday: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
Saturday: “The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.”
Sunday: “We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not when it’s easy, but when it is hard.”
Tip of the Day: Walk down the street or any public place, catch eye contact with someone and smile at them. It won’t be weird or strange if the smile is genuine. Have fun with it. See how it works; test to see how many smiles you get back in return.
8 - Ellen Degeneres, Talk Show Host/Comedian
What to practice: Turning it on at a moment’s notice. Understanding your charisma and energy level and deciding to be engaging and enthusiastic at anytime.
How to practice: Work on having your charisma ready to go at a moment’s notice. 90% of people do not know that they possess the ability to turn on and off the charisma switch. The more you practice all of the elements; more you will be able to command it.
Why this works: Charisma works because there is an overall charming element to its practices and techniques. Yes, people have natural charisma and others don’t. But it is the individuals that can turn their charisma on that will get the best results from it. The best ways to adjust and to instantly turn on your charisma is with you incantations. Incantations are tricks to wake up the energetic side of your brain. Things like chanting. Telling yourself, “I am awesome”. And standing up straight with uncrossed arms. All allow your neurological happy-go-lucky functions to get going. They allows your charismatic self to fully take over.
Tip from Author: “This should take less than 10 seconds to actually do. But in any moment it can completely shift how you feel. Yes, you can actually choose your feelings. And like everything in life, it gets even stronger with practice.” – Charlie Houpert, Chapter 6
Charismatic Model: Ellen Degeneres is a beloved television host, comedian, and actress. Not only is she groundbreaking as an entertainer, but she is also one of the more charismatic celebrities. If you tune into her Emmy-award winning talk show, Ellen, you'll see every episode her ability to hit the switch from being the center of attention to relaxing and allowing her guest to shine.
Interesting Facts about Ellen Degeneres:
1. Ellen Degeneres is a college dropout
2. Madonna is Ellen's 11th cousin
3. Ellen was the first female comedian invited over to the couch for an interview on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show (1986)
Daily Wise Words from Ellen Degeneres:
Monday: "You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and we don't know where the hell she is."
Tuesday: "People always ask me, 'Were you funny as a child?' Well, no, I was an accountant."
Wednesday: "In the beginning there was nothing. God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better."
Thursday: "Procrastinate now, don't put it off."
Friday: "Sometimes you can't see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others."
Saturday: "Just go up to someone on the street and say 'You're it!' and then run away."
Sunday: "I am saddened by how people treat one another and how we are so shut off from one another and how we judge one another, when the truth is, we are all one connected thing. We are all from the same exact molecules."
Tip of the Day: Practice your charisma DAILY; this way you can grow accustom and content with your own unique charisma. Once you know the character aspects you possess you’ll be more comfortable turning it on at a moments notice. But to get to that point you must practice.
9 - Russell Brand, Actor/Musician
What to practice: Messing Around.
How to practice: The art of purely messing around with someone is essential to charismatic behavior. This is a showcase of your unfiltered free-flowing charisma. You want to bring up topics, jokes or scenarios that are uncommon in basic interactions. Leave an impression; you messing around may be one of the only interactions that person or people will remember that day.
Why this works: Messing around is mainly committing to your charismatic energy in certain interactions. Practice this to the point that it becomes like a performance of sorts. Make sure all the other working parts of your charismatic behavior and posture are in coordination and you’ll notice more open responses.
Tip from Author: “Have fun with everyone! Seems obvious. But chances are there are a lot if people in your life that you treat solemnly. Maybe your coworkers. Or maybe the cashier at the coffee shop you frequent. Or the doorman in your building, who get a curt “Good morning: or “Good night” depending on the time of the day. The truly charismatic person doesn’t wait until there is a “big fish” in the room to turn it on. That person lives a charismatic experience. And that starts with the commonplace interactions they have every day.” – Charlie Houpert, Day 10
Charismatic Model: Russell Brand is phenomenal at messing around. He is a master of weaving humor and seriousness in and out of his conversations. But it is his ability to mess around that allows his jokes to be more hilarious and his serious statements more poignant.
Interesting Facts about Russell Brand:
1. Russell Brand once worked as a postman
2. Russell Brand has been a vegetarian since he was 14 years old
3. He lent his voice for the films Despicable Me 1 & 2
Daily Wise Words from Russell Brand:
Monday: “I recognize that I have the ability to be selfish, but I also recognize that you can’t be happy if you care about yourself at the expense of other people.”
Tuesday: “Sometimes, as a comedian, a line will come to you, that is so beautiful, so perfect, that you think: I did not create this line. This line belongs to all of us. Surely this is a line of God.”
Wednesday: “You must not feel persecuted and examined. Liberate yourself from that idea that people are watching.”
Thursday: “I want to change the world, and do something valuable and beautiful. I want people to remember me before I’m dead, and then more afterwards.”
Friday: “I like threesomes with two women, not because I’m a cynical sexual predator. Oh no! But because I’m a romantic. I’m looking for “The One.” And I’ll find her more quickly if I audition two at a time.”
Saturday: “Be led by your talent, not by your self-loathing; those other things you have to manage.”
Sunday: “You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness of the universe. Everything beautiful in the world is within you.”
Tip of the Day: Today (and everyday from here on out) set a goal to make at least one-person smile or laugh; how you do it is up to you, but have fun with it!
10 - William (Bill) Clinton, 42nd President of the United States of America
Marco Grob for TIME
What to practice: Eye contact. Lock eyes with passing strangers and hold fixated eye contact in conversations.
How to practice: Don’t break eye contact first. Smile. When you do look away, DO NOT immediately look down, turn your head to the left or right. This movement shows a change in thought or shifts in focus rather than a showing of timid shyness. You will be amazed how this seemingly small movement changes individuals’ impression of you.
Why this works: This works because there is a trigger in each of us that recognizes confidence. Confidence speaks loudly. It has been said that, “the eyes are the gateway to the soul”. Having the ability for when someone is looking at you they have your undivided attention is refreshing to most and allows them to become immediately comfortable with you. Charisma has that effect on people and charismatic people get the most likable and sincere comfort from their peers.
Tip from Author: “If you struggle at first, don’t worry. This is like lifting weights. You don’t see the results on day one. But after a few short weeks your relationships will be transformed by this habit. Good eye contact literally changes lives.” – Charlie Houpert, Day 2
Charismatic Model: President Bill Clinton is a master of this charismatic practice, due to his ability to make you feel that he is speaking and looking directly at and solely to you even in a crowded room of people.
Interesting Facts about President Bill Clinton:
1. He was the President of the United States from 1993-2000
2. At age 32, Bill Clinton became the youngest governor in the United States. He was the Governor of Arkansas from 1979-1981 and again from 1983-1992.
3. His favorite book is Meditations by Marcus Aureilus
Daily Wise Words from President Bill Clinton:
Monday: “If you want to have a good life you have to have some constructive outlet for your feelings.”
Tuesday: “As powerful as our memories are, our dreams must be even stronger. For when our memories outweigh our dreams, we become old.”
Wednesday: “Being President is like running a cemetery: you’ve got a lot of people under you and nobody’s listening.”
Thursday: “You can put wings on a pig, but you don’t make it an eagle.”
Friday: “Nothing big ever came from being small.”
Saturday: “Character is a journey, not a destination.”
Sunday: “We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more.”
Tip of the Day: Try this – when you are out and about the city in public spaces PURPOSEFULLY lock eyes with strangers and do not break eye contact first. Next, hold longer eye contact in conversations with your peers, friends, strangers, and family. Get comfortable with maintaining good eye contact. It will do wonders for your confidence and charisma.
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