The differing definitions of charisma make it a fluid concept, but the ability of individuals to emotionally resonate with others is the key element of the term. A person’s ability to relate to others is the most important and powerful aspect of charisma because it inspires others, thus leading them into action. Riggio emphasizes this point when he mentions how, “…perhaps [the] most important to perceptions of charisma is emotional expressiveness—the ability to convey feelings and emotions accurately and effectively to others. Charismatic individuals use their emotional expressiveness to arouse and inspire others and to spur them to action” (Page 3, Sage). Riggio’s declaration that individuals who can connect to people will cause others to act on their behalf, shows the potential power of charisma. The ability to get a following, is a common trait of many famous charismatic individuals. Ghandi is a prime example of a charismatic individual, who used his personality and expressiveness to inspire others to act on his behalf during India’s fight for independence. While emotional expressiveness is a potential agent of good, it can be used in much more sinister ways. Hitler comes to mind with the way he was able to agitate the German people over the current state of the country, and inspire them into action against the world and the Jewish population. While Ghandi and Hitler used their ability to connect to people in differing ways, it showed the power that charismatic individuals have over others. Connecting to others is in fact the true power of emotional expressiveness, and charisma as a whole, because it allows an individual to extend their will out to their followers and have them act on their behalf. This is why a person who resonates with others is more likely to have success, and in turn be thought of as a charismatic individual
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