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Some people are naturally more charismatic than others.
Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and Martin Luther King Jr. had the ability to captivate and inspire their audiences the way few other leaders could.
Yet Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy says there’s a personality trait that’s just as important as charisma — and it’s considerably easier to develop.
That trait is what she calls “presence,” and it’s the subject of her new book by the same name.
“Presence,” as Cuddy defines it, is about being attuned to and able to express your full potential — whether in an important presentation or a conversation with your boss.
During a recent talk at the 92Y in New York City, Cuddy explained the difference between charisma and presence, and why presence isn’t something that only certain people are born with:
Charisma seems to be more about the intoxicating quality that you have on other people, as opposed to presence, which is more about the self in relation to others, and how you feel you represented yourself in a situation, and how you were able to engage. So it’s less about how others see you and more about how you see yourself. Read more...
Stephanie L. Gross, MSLIS 