A short live-stream monologue by TJ Walker arguing that 'charisma' is not a mystical trait but essentially the skill of effective public speaking. Walker uses thought experiments and historical examples (e.g., Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, John F. Kennedy) to show that perceived charisma correlates with speaking ability and that anyone can learn it.
Chapters
How to communicate with charisma. Boy, wouldn't we all like that? What is the secret to charisma? Guess what I'm here to tell you. There is no such thing as charisma, or there's no special different thing that you can package, bottle, call it charisma. Here's what I believe people really mean when they say charisma. They mean that person is a good public speaker. Some of you say, well, no, no, T.J. that's not what we mean. Let's do a little thought experiment. I want you to imagine a famous politician that you like this person's politics, and this person is universally acknowledged to be a charismatic leader. Charismatic person. Answer this question. Isn't that person a great public speaker? If you're a conservative, you're maybe thinking Ronald Reagan. If you are a Democrat or a moderate or a liberal, you may be saying, bill Clinton. Guess what? They're both great public speakers. Now let's do another thought experiment. Imagine someone where you like their politics, but they're a horrible public speaker. Now, is that person considered charismatic? Probably not. So if everyone you think of as charismatic is a great public speaker, and all the people who are not charismatic are not considered good public speakers, I deduce from that that it's really about public speaking. But people just don't want to say that. If you say it's charisma, then it's this ethereal, special mystery thing that no one else can reach and no one else can do. If you call it public speaking, it's now a specific, quantifiable skill that anyone can learn. Look at someone like John F. Kennedy. John F. Kennedy was considered, frankly, a horrible public speaker. As a young member of Congress, he was someone known who had his head down, would read, and all you would see is this thick shock of hair. He learned to be a better speaker. But even as president, people who say, if you stood behind him, you would see his knees knocking, you would see his hands shaking. It's not what the rest of the world saw. They saw this charismatic leader, but he was still scared. He was still nervous. If you want to build your charisma, if you want to be seen as charismatic, the simplest, fastest, easiest, most quantifiable thing you can do is learn to be a great public speaker.
