個人魅力能靠後天培養嗎 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年發佈麥金塔電腦(Macintosh)時，身爲蘋果(Apple)首席執行官的史蒂夫吠布斯(Steve Jobs)躲在講臺後面，照稿朗讀，並不時看着自己的雙腳。
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，他已能夠在舞臺上來回走動，流利地演講。但姿勢依然僵硬，很像電影《綠野仙蹤》(The Wizard of Oz)中的鐵皮人(Tin Man)，爲首席執行官們開授個人魅力課程的奧利維婭輠克斯慍班(Olivia Fox Cabane)如此說道。到了2000年，當喬布斯宣佈重新擔任蘋果首席執行官時，他已成了一名錶演者。
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，“他是講臺的主人。他的眼神交流非常出色，手勢經過了精心策劃，事實上，他使用的是與專業魔術師相同的技術”，她寫道。
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《魅力的神話》(The Charisma Myth)一書作者，她是越來越多向高管講授“個人魅力”——存在感、影響力與激情的結合——可以習得的專家之一。
Her argument is supported by academic research, which shows that people taught charismatic skills are more likely to be followed.
她的觀點受到了學術研究的支持，研究表明，被傳授了魅力技巧的人更有可能受到追隨。
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”.
根據自己團隊的研究，洛桑大學(University of Lausanne)組織行爲學教授約翰褠東納基斯(John Antonakis)說，學習了12種個人魅力特質——例如講話聲音生動活潑或者表達道德信念——的領導者變得“更具影響力、更值得信賴、更具有領袖氣質”。
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.
魅力可以影響所有人——從選民到公司董事長。安東納基斯博士說，他和自己的團隊可以根據哪位候選人更具個人魅力以及本屆執政黨經濟管理得怎麼樣來預測出誰將贏得美國總統大選。
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.
他們在一項實驗研究中發現了類似的結果：一名首席執行官被重新任命的概率取決於他或她的個人魅力以及該組織的業績狀況。
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.
雖然很多人認爲魅力是與生俱來的，但專家們稱，我們都可以培養出比爾克林頓(Bill Clinton)或者大衛貝克漢姆(David Beckham)身上那種看似難以確切定義的魅力。
Richard Reid, who runs charisma classes for companies including Google and Ernst & Young, says it is about finding a style that suits your personality.
爲谷歌(Google)、安永(Ernst & Young)等企業開設魅力培訓課程的理查德里德(Richard Reid)說，關鍵是要找到一種適合本人個性的風格。
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”.
裏德說，訣竅在於“爲每一個人的獨特性歡呼”，否則看起來會很造作。他說，今年角逐英國首相之位失利的埃德猠利班德(Ed Miliband)雖然接受了魅力培訓，但他“變得越來越不真實”。
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.
裏德在培訓中主要強調的是肢體語言，而非口頭言辭——尤其是“細微的舉動”，比如迎着別人的目光。他說，第一印象非常重要，首次見面時，即使一次看似無意識的眨眼都會削弱你的影響力，並補充說，一旦失去這次機會，就需要更長的時間來建立信任。要使自己成功的機會最大化，他建議，在進入房間會見重要人物或者發表演講之前，你可以想象一個自己最充滿自信的時刻。
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?”
人們容易被那些目標明確、讓人有安全感並且認真傾聽的人所吸引。裏德將這比作“摟住別人的肩膀”，並低語：“你能跟我一起看到我設想的景象嗎？”
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.
他的建議是做一名積極的傾聽者。方法之一是打斷正在發言的夥伴，並說這樣做“是爲了確保自己已經理解”，然後重複對方說過的話。
“Although we think we’re good listeners, we’re not,” Mr Reid says.
“我們都認爲自己是優秀的聽衆，其實我們不是，”裏德說。
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，如果你正試圖說服某人，大家想去的是馬德里而非羅馬，不要使用“爲什麼”一詞。“爲什麼”通常被認爲有叫板的意思，所以，最好避免在進行工作績效評估時使用。
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.
在發生衝突時，人們往往會針鋒相對，用手指直指對方。裏德建議，你可以微微屈身，把問題說得好像不只是跟你們倆人有關。
Although useful techniques, they beg the question of whether these are anything more than good communications skills.
儘管這些技巧很有用，但也有一個問題——這些是否只是優秀的溝通技巧？
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.”
爲戴爾(Dell)、Visa、杜邦(DuPont)以及戴比爾斯(De Beers)等跨國公司的高管提供培訓的羅布史姆因(Rob Shimmin)坦言，“你可以學做一個值得信賴的人，但未必擁有魅力。”
He believes many of the traits that breed charisma, much like the rest of personality, are set in childhood.
他認爲，構成魅力的諸多品質在童年時期就形成了，就像其他方面的個性一樣。
“You can’t buy charisma, be it from a smart corporate coach or a private school.”
“你無法買來魅力，無論是從一位聰明的企業培訓師或是一所私立學校。”
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.”
但是你可以向這類人靠攏。“你越能夠學習有魅力人士的行爲，在溝通中就越有可能發揮你的影響。”
