If you’re not sure introverts can be charismatic, then I have two words for you, and those two words are “Keanu Reeves.” Not as irrationally obsessed with Point Break as I am? Then how about Barack Obama? Or Michael Jordan? Or Meryl Streep? Or Jimi Hendrix? Or most grunge era rock stars?
There are plenty of quieter types who know how to cast a spell when they want to. What’s their secret?
Magnetic introverts are as diverse as magnetic extroverts, and as such their strategies are as varied as they are. But authenticity, self possession, and passion seem to play a major role in the magnetism of each of them. The first step to getting other people to like you is to like yourself enough to actually be yourself around other people.
But while there is no single recipe for introvert charm, there are a few handy techniques you can arm yourself with as you work out your own particular brand of charisma.
Deflect the spotlight to boost your charisma
One of the most useful ones I’ve read recently comes via writer Barry Davret. The technique he recommends is called reversals and it builds on a widely accepted principle of likability — people tend to be charmed by people who are genuinely interested in them.
