Teen Topics: The Secret to Charisma

Last week one of my teachers showed my class an article from the internet. The name of the article was “How to be a Popular and Charismatic Person.” While many people might think that there is some great science behind this, the article’s advice was deceivingly simple. It said that the secret to becoming well-liked is not to be an important person, but rather to make others feel that they are important. The more I thought about this advice, the better it seemed to me. It was such a simple little thing, but it was something that could go a long way in making a person likable.

My parents, along with other adults that I know, often complain about the fact that “kids these days” don’t seem to have the same common courtesy and gratitude that they had as children. Common courtesy is a major stepping stone in making others feel that you actually care about them and what they are saying. Simple things like saying “please” and “thank you” can go a long way in making others feel that you appreciate them.

As a teenager, I can vouch for the fact that one of my favorite pastimes is texting my friends. While texting has certainly added accessibility and convenience to the communication process, it has unfortunately also taken away some of the personal aspects of communicating. I know that many times, while talking face to face with others, we tend to also be texting someone. This causes our attentions to be diverted and neither person we are talking to receives our full attention.

Common courtesy is vital in becoming a respectful and charismatic individual. Just in the past couple of days, I’ve been trying out some of these techniques, and I’ve noticed that it makes a difference. Maintaining eye contact and showing others you care takes just a few seconds, but has long lasting effects.