Charismatic Leadership: From Science to Practice
Some people seem to effortlessly engage their audience. Their messages are powerfully framed and skillfully delivered. They linger in people’s minds like catchy tunes, whereas those of others are soon forgotten. The difference is charisma.
But what exactly is charisma? Many people think charisma is like a lottery: if you are lucky, you draw a winning ticket and are simply born with it. Science shows charisma is not a lottery. It is more like a muscle. When you train it, it grows stronger.
“It was fascinating to see how many aspects of charismatic leadership can be learned and developed through intentional practice.”
“The use of self-reflection tools and improv activities helped me learn practical ways to deliver a message in a persuasive way that brings people along.”
This training is co-taught by a scientist (either dr. Wendy Andrews or dr. Rafael Wilms) and an improv trainer (Jenny Hasenack). In the training, we draw on scientific insights on what makes messages powerful and convincing. We break down charismatic communication into three pillars: substance, frame, and delivery. Participants learn science-based tactics that anyone can practice—and start strengthening their own charisma muscle.
Aims:
1. Connect to the core of what you stand for and what drives you in a series of exercises that will help you reflect.
2. Let go of any psychological restrictions you might be feeling with techniques from improv theatre that help you go with the flow.
3. Experiment with tactics that have been proven to make a message more powerful and convincing and find out what works for you.
4. Freely use charismatic leadership tactics to pitch an idea that you believe in and learn what effect your pitch has on others.
Find out more
Antonakis, J., Bastardoz, N., Jacquart, P., & Shamir, B. (2016). Charisma: An ill-defined and ill-measured gift. Annual review of organizational psychology and organizational behavior, 3(1), 293-319. Link
Wilms, R., Bastardoz, N., El Dahan, C. S., & Jacquart, P. (2025). Are we on the same page? Leader-follower value congruence as a boundary condition in the emergence of charismatic effects. The Leadership Quarterly, 36(2), 101839. Link
This workshop can be offered in Dutch or English.