个人魅力能靠后天培养吗 Charisma matters. But can it be taught

When Steve Jobs, the late chief executive of Apple, launched the Macintosh computer in 1984, he hid behind the lectern, reading from notes and glancing at his feet.

1984年发布麦金塔电脑(Macintosh)时，身为苹果(Apple)首席执行官的史蒂夫吠布斯(Steve Jobs)躲在讲台后面，照稿朗读，并不时看着自己的双脚。

By 1996, he was walking around the stage, speaking fluently. But he was still stiff, much like the Tin Man character in The Wizard of Oz movie, says Olivia Fox Cabane, who teaches charisma to chief executives. By 2000, when he announced his return as chief executive of Apple, Mr Jobs had turned into a showman.

到了1996年，他已能够在舞台上来回走动，流利地演讲。但姿势依然僵硬，很像电影《绿野仙踪》(The Wizard of Oz)中的铁皮人(Tin Man)，为首席执行官们开授个人魅力课程的奥利维娅輠克斯愠班(Olivia Fox Cabane)如此说道。到了2000年，当乔布斯宣布重新担任苹果首席执行官时，他已成了一名表演者。

At that point, “he owns the stage. His eye contact is outstanding, hand gestures are carefully orchestrated and in fact, he’s using the same techniques as professional magicians”, she writes.

那一刻，“他是讲台的主人。他的眼神交流非常出色，手势经过了精心策划，事实上，他使用的是与专业魔术师相同的技术”，她写道。

Ms Cabane, author of the The Charisma Myth, is one of a growing band of experts making a living out of teaching senior executives that “personal magnetism” — a combination of presence, power and warmth — can be learned.

卡班是《魅力的神话》(The Charisma Myth)一书作者，她是越来越多向高管讲授“个人魅力”——存在感、影响力与激情的结合——可以习得的专家之一。

Her argument is supported by academic research, which shows that people taught charismatic skills are more likely to be followed.

她的观点受到了学术研究的支持，研究表明，被传授了魅力技巧的人更有可能受到追随。

Drawing from his team’s study, John Antonakis, professor of organisational behaviour at the University of Lausanne, says that leaders who learn 12 charismatic traits — such as using an animated voice or expressing moral conviction — become more “influential, trustworthy and leaderlike”.

根据自己团队的研究，洛桑大学(University of Lausanne)组织行为学教授约翰褠东纳基斯(John Antonakis)说，学习了12种个人魅力特质——例如讲话声音生动活泼或者表达道德信念——的领导者变得“更具影响力、更值得信赖、更具有领袖气质”。

Charisma influences everyone from voters to company chairmen. Dr Antonakis says he and his team can predict who will win the US presidency on the basis of which candidate has more charisma and how well the incumbent party has handled the economy.

魅力可以影响所有人——从选民到公司董事长。安东纳基斯博士说，他和自己的团队可以根据哪位候选人更具个人魅力以及本届执政党经济管理得怎么样来预测出谁将赢得美国总统大选。

They found similar results in an experimental study where the probability of a chief executive being reappointed depended on his or her charisma and the organisation’s performance.

他们在一项实验研究中发现了类似的结果：一名首席执行官被重新任命的概率取决于他或她的个人魅力以及该组织的业绩状况。

Although many of us assume charisma is something a person either does or does not possess, experts say we can all be taught the seemingly indefinable allure of Bill Clinton or David Beckham.

虽然很多人认为魅力是与生俱来的，但专家们称，我们都可以培养出比尔克林顿(Bill Clinton)或者大卫贝克汉姆(David Beckham)身上那种看似难以确切定义的魅力。

Richard Reid, who runs charisma classes for companies including Google and Ernst & Young, says it is about finding a style that suits your personality.

为谷歌(Google)、安永(Ernst & Young)等企业开设魅力培训课程的理查德里德(Richard Reid)说，关键是要找到一种适合本人个性的风格。

The trick is to “celebrate each individual’s uniqueness” or it will seem artificial, says Mr Reid. He says Ed Miliband, who lost the race to become UK prime minister this year, received coaching but “became increasingly inauthentic along with it”.

里德说，诀窍在于“为每一个人的独特性欢呼”，否则看起来会很造作。他说，今年角逐英国首相之位失利的埃德猠利班德(Ed Miliband)虽然接受了魅力培训，但他“变得越来越不真实”。

Much of the emphasis in Mr Reid’s training is on body, rather than verbal language — especially “micro-manoeuvres” such as holding someone’s gaze. First impressions count and even a seemingly involuntary blink of the eye can weaken your influence when meeting someone for the first time, he says, adding that once an opportunity is lost, it takes a lot longer to establish trust. To maximise your chance of getting it right, he suggests picturing a time when you felt most confident before entering a room to meet someone important or give a presentation.

里德在培训中主要强调的是肢体语言，而非口头言辞——尤其是“细微的举动”，比如迎着别人的目光。他说，第一印象非常重要，首次见面时，即使一次看似无意识的眨眼都会削弱你的影响力，并补充说，一旦失去这次机会，就需要更长的时间来建立信任。要使自己成功的机会最大化，他建议，在进入房间会见重要人物或者发表演讲之前，你可以想象一个自己最充满自信的时刻。

People are drawn to those who are purposeful and can make them feel safe and heard. Mr Reid compares it to throwing “an arm around the shoulder” and whispering: “Can you see my vision with me?”

人们容易被那些目标明确、让人有安全感并且认真倾听的人所吸引。里德将这比作“搂住别人的肩膀”，并低语：“你能跟我一起看到我设想的景象吗？”

He suggests being an active listener. One way is to interrupt a conversation partner, saying you are doing so “to make sure I’ve understood” and then to repeat the speaker’s words.

他的建议是做一名积极的倾听者。方法之一是打断正在发言的伙伴，并说这样做“是为了确保自己已经理解”，然后重复对方说过的话。

“Although we think we’re good listeners, we’re not,” Mr Reid says.

“我们都认为自己是优秀的听众，其实我们不是，”里德说。

If you are trying to persuade someone they want to go to Madrid rather than Rome do not use the word “why”, for example. “Why” is often perceived as a challenge, so best avoided when undergoing a workplace performance evaluation.

例如，如果你正试图说服某人，大家想去的是马德里而非罗马，不要使用“为什么”一词。“为什么”通常被认为有叫板的意思，所以，最好避免在进行工作绩效评估时使用。

In conflict, people tend to end up face to face, jabbing fingers at each other. Mr Reid advises angling your body and referring to the problem as if it is slightly beyond the both of you.

在发生冲突时，人们往往会针锋相对，用手指直指对方。里德建议，你可以微微屈身，把问题说得好像不只是跟你们俩人有关。

Although useful techniques, they beg the question of whether these are anything more than good communications skills.

尽管这些技巧很有用，但也有一个问题——这些是否只是优秀的沟通技巧？

Rob Shimmin, an executive coach for multinationals including Dell, Visa, DuPont and De Beers, admits, “ You can learn to be credible, but not necessarily charismatic.”

为戴尔(Dell)、Visa、杜邦(DuPont)以及戴比尔斯(De Beers)等跨国公司的高管提供培训的罗布史姆因(Rob Shimmin)坦言，“你可以学做一个值得信赖的人，但未必拥有魅力。”

He believes many of the traits that breed charisma, much like the rest of personality, are set in childhood.

他认为，构成魅力的诸多品质在童年时期就形成了，就像其他方面的个性一样。

“You can’t buy charisma, be it from a smart corporate coach or a private school.”

“你无法买来魅力，无论是从一位聪明的企业培训师或是一所私立学校。”

But you can get close. “The better able you are to learn the behaviours of charismatic people the more impact you are likely to have when you communicate.”

但是你可以向这类人靠拢。“你越能够学习有魅力人士的行为，在沟通中就越有可能发挥你的影响。”