Mar 17, 2009
You're presenting in a meeting or perhaps in front of a group.
What is it that makes you more believable? More engaging?
More trustworthy?
The topic for today's cast is the key to charisma. Many people
think you either have the charisma gene or you don't. Tony Robbins?
He got it. Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller's Day Off?
Not so much!
But is it purely a matter of genetics? Is there
hope for those of us whose family tree didn't bless them with the
charisma gene?
After coaching hundreds of executives I'm here to tell you
there's hope for us all! Charisma is not two-state: you
either have it or not. There are practical skills that you can
develop to improve your ability to develop rapport and trust with
people.
And let's face it. This is a critical skill to
develop. As I often say, the "dirty little secret of
business is that it's all done on relationships." To succeed we
need to be able to convince our boss, key stakeholders, or
customers to support our ideas. Being authentic, engaging, and
trustworthy is foundational to our ability to influence.
Similarly, to be successful we need to be able to detect
when someone is not being straight with us. I've often
said that sometimes being an effective project manager (or leader)
is having a good nose.... By that I mean: "Hmmm... something
doesn't smell right!" Developing our instincts to know when we're
being told the truth or not can be an important part of our
development as an effective leader.
So, how can we be more authentic and engaging when we are
communicating? That's the subject of the book
Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma, written by
communication guru Dr. Nick Morgan. A major focus of Dr. Morgan's work is
aligning our verbals with our non-verbals--a subject that many of
you will have heard me discuss if you've participated in one of my
project management or leadership workshops. It's a vital component
of effective communication--so simple in concept--yet too often not
practiced.
In the interview with Dr. Nick Morgan you will
hear about the offer for a free DVD of a recent presentation he
made on this topic at Harvard. I highly recommend you snag
a copy for yourself--something for you and perhaps even to show to
your team. These will go fast so send me an e-mail today at
andy@i-leadonline.com to
get your copy.
Hey, quick question: how satisfied are you with how your
organization delivers projects? We have a series of three
workshops that might be exactly what your organization needs. Our
Essentials of Project Management workshop helps
you, your teams, and even stakeholders get on the same page when it
comes to delivering projects. We're regularly told people learn
more in two days than they have in any previous workshop on the
topic of project management. Our Advanced Project
Management and PMP Prep workshops take
the next step in helping you and your organization deliver results.
Give us a call toll-free at 866-88 I-LEAD
(866-884-5323) or check out our website at http://www.i-leadonline.com/ for
more information.
Thanks for listening to The People and Projects
Podcast!