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The Charismatic Performer: What Does That Mean and How Do I Get More Of It?

1546 - Aug 2021

1. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THE CHARISMATIC PERFORMER? 

The Charismatic Performer is the one who you are compelled to watch. It is that specialness that emanates from a performer that makes you pay attention even when you don’t even care for the kind of music they perform. Or perhaps they sing in a language that you don’t even understand…but yet, you have to pay attention. It is as if they commanded you through some energetic field of something or other and you cannot take your attention back to yourself until they are completely finished. We’ve all had that experience. We’ve all known of or seen and heard a performer like that.

The dictionary defines it as “a divinely inspired gift or talent.” I believe that some people do possess a natural presence that can be both powerful and mysterious. I also believe, because of my experiences with performers of all kinds, that the ability to be charismatic is not the sole property of just the very lucky performers. It really is not limited to just the lucky few. 

A performer’s attractiveness to the audience may be there in varying levels of energy. Some performer’s may have the ability or the training to be much more present in the moment to what they are doing. They would be more likely to be described as Charismatic. Some people have the trait of openness as just a natural part of their personality. That tends to collect their energy and make the sharing of that energy with the audience easier for some individuals more than others. 

So, Charisma and personality are functions of "Beingness”. You have to be open, and you have to be in the moment to have that Charisma shine through.

2. WOULD YOU SHARE WITH US MORE ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF A PERFORMER "BEING IN THE MOMENT”?

When I say that Charisma and the personality of the performer require being in the moment, I mean that the performer has to be completely available to whatever is happening in the present moment. Charisma is a function of “Beingness”.  Personality is also a function of “Beingness”. When your being is fully focused right here and right now, then you are fully available. That is what we refer to as being fully present. When a performer is truly present and in the moment of that, they can deliver a truly riveting performance. And a riveting performance is the direct result of the vitality and availability of that person there on the stage. 

When the performer is both willing and able to share all of the ingredients that make up their being, a magnetic, inescapable bond is formed. You simply cannot turn away from that power. And it is available to anyone who is there one hundred percent with full commitment and who are giving all they can give. A performer cannot deliver a Charismatic performance if they are not fully present and available. However, when they are, they give performances that are memorable and in many cases iconic. Think Whitney Houston singing the National Anthem!

The catch is, and there is always the price of admission to a level like that, is that you will have to be courageous! As a singer and as a singing actor such as on Broadway and in Musical Theater, you will have to be willing to break through any and all of your personal barriers to opening both heart and soul to your art. I believe that that power is truly available to us all. Courage will be needed to open that door, and once it is opened and you are there, you will have to find the confidence in yourself to stay there and deliver what you have to share with your audience.

3.  HOW DOES ONE DEVELOP CONFIDENCE IN SINGING?

To get from where you are to where you want to go, the first thing to do is to take an accurate assessment of what you really think it would take for you to feel confident with your singing. What do you think is holding you up? What are your blockages or weaknesses? People have a variety of needs. Some people have pitch issues, some are shy, some have trouble singing long notes or short rhythmic phrases. Some people have never tried to actually sing and they just want to try to see if they could really be good at singing? Others could be professionals who have had a problem come up and cannot do what they are used to doing. 

Once that assessment has been made, either by yourself or with the help of a professional, you can make a plan to achieve your result.  When a student tells me that they lack the confidence to really perform at the level they desire and want to embody what would make them Charismatic, I take an assessment which is actually an ongoing process for me with a student to find out how and where to fill in the gaps of their knowledge, skills and openness.

4. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO A STUDENT IF THEY ASK YOU TO HELP THEM BE MORE CONFIDENT WITH THEIR SINGING?

If what they are seeking is to be more confident, I will often use an example that they can understand. For example, I might ask them to tell me, “What is your current job and how long have you worked at your current job?” If they say a while, I then will ask them if they were confident about how to do that job when they first started. Most of the time…usually 99% of the time, they say no. Then I ask…”Are you confident now and they usually say “Yes”

Once that has been established I often reply that the two are the same. You will be confident when you are sure that you absolutely know that you know what you are doing. Also when you have acquired and mastered enough skill to sing the music that you want to sing without worry. If you are certain, then you have every right to be confident. 

And then I go on to say that that is how you build confidence if that is not a natural personality trait for you. Even performers who have always had confidence can, for a million reasons, lose confidence in themselves. However, the path to confidence is always the same… you have to do the work because most often, there are not going to be any shortcuts. That steady effort brings great rewards and sets you free. Freedom is another attribute of a Charismatic performer.

5. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST REASON WHY SOME PEOPLE DON’T SEEM TO HAVE CHARISMA?

The biggest reason I have witnessed for the lack of charisma when someone is singing is the presence of worrying about blockages somewhere in the “Beingness” of the performer.

We have talked alot about blockages in the many podcasts that we have done so far and here it is again:

• Blockages can come from any source and they will mask what could otherwise probably be a Charismatic performance. Once these blocks are removed, it changes the whole picture. 

• Some people are not really all that present in a given moment. Perhaps they have trouble concentrating? Perhaps they need to learn to focus?

• They might be scared because of past negative comments from others or from themselves.

• Or they might have a medical issue with their voice or they are recovering from something like that and they are being impatient with the outcome? The process?

There are a million possibilities.

6. HOW DO YOU CHANGE THAT?

The easy answer is one step at a time. Many of the things that you learn when learning to sing, besides singing the notes well and all that, is how to focus, how to be patient, diligent, steady, kind with yourself. When you sing as a performer, you have to fully be there on stage… you have to have all of you be there. 

You will have a struggle with the Charismatic state if you are not fully present. Something will be missing. That shining bond with the audience will simply shine a little less. The good news is that blockages are simply that: blockages. And they can be removed, worked on, removed and replaced with techniques, awareness and healing and all sorts of good stuff. There are always remedies. You just have to be willing to do whatever is necessary to begin.

Commitment is a great big part of this path. It is a pact with yourself so that you can become free and be one with yourself. All of this helps with confidence and Charisma. What is more appealing than a performer who is fully committed to what they are performing?

7. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TECHNIQUES THAT ARE USED TO BECOME MORE CHARISMATIC?

In my training with Wesley Balk, a highly successful and innovative Acting Teacher and Opera Director, I learned techniques that were available to free up, remove, and release blockages. 

One of the first and most powerful techniques that he taught me was what he referred to as 

The 3 Modes of Communication. These are three pathways that we all use in everyday life to access our expressive selves to communicate with each other. Performers, using and perfecting these Modes, bring songs and musicals to life for us.

Doing this helps to create the environment of free flowing energy which, in turn, allows you to be Charismatic. You can be naturally dominant in one, two or even all three Modes. And this is something that anyone can learn. You can learn to work with these techniques as one of many ways to really develop techniques to show up and express yourself more than you ever thought possible. He called these Modes the Kinesthetic Mode, The Hearing/Vocal Mode, and the Facial/Emotional Mode. 

8. WOULD YOU GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF ONE THESE MODES?

The most obvious Mode is the Facial/Emotional Mode.

One of the performer’s most powerful ways to express and communicate to the audience is through their face. It is through the face that you can really let the audience know exactly what you are singing about. Gestures don’t mean anything by themselves. The face is able to show your feelings. The eyes along with the mouth literally tell the whole story. The language of the eyes is a reflection of thought. The eyes reveal what you are thinking. If they wander, you wander and so does the audience. If they search, wander, focus, the audience follows.

You lead the audience with your face as much as with your voice.

9. ARE THERE TECHNIQUES FOR MAKING YOUR FACE MORE ABLE TO EXPRESS LIKE THAT?

The easiest place to start is a simple chewing exercise. All you do to begin is to pretend to chew something. At first, you begin by imitating simple chewing. Then, you follow that with a more exaggerated chew, going slowly and deliberately. Then, after that, you stick out your tongue and really go for it. Now the chewing is almost clown-like. After that you slowly return to less and less until you have returned to normal chewing.

Another exercise that is similar, basic and easy to learn is a movement called facial flex. It seems like a simple thing to do at first. But there are many, many facial muscles. You begin to move your face so that all the muscles that you can possibly move are reached and all of them get a chance to move. You breathe in and out while you are doing this. Stay at it until you have moved everything.

This can also be followed by speaking or even singing while you are doing a facial flex. That wakes up the face, brings circulation, and rids the face of many frozen areas that might be there.

10. WOULD YOU NAME THREE PERFORMERS WHO ARE CLEAR EXAMPLES OF THE THREE MODES?

Sure. These are things that we all do and we all have witnessed. All people communicate using one, two or even three modes of communication all the time without even knowing it. Really great performers usually use all three Modes varying from one to another. Here are some examples

For the Kinesthetic Mode I would say: Sebastian Maniscalco.

He is what I would call a triple dominant. He is a physical comedian using his body to tell his stories. He uses sound to punctuate his dialogue and he especially uses his face.

For the Hearing/Vocal Mode I would suggest: Andrea Bocelli. 

Because he lost his sight at an early age, when he performs, he stands quite still compared to other performers. He is predominately using his hearing and his voice to give to the audience. He is remarkable in that he tells stories through singing, mostly to a world that does not understand his language and yet he is able to move millions with his voice.

For the Facial/Emotional, I could name any number of Musical Theater, Rock Singers both contemporary and older. A very vibrant and expressive face are the hallmarks of a singer who is demonstrating extreme emotion when they sing. Katy Perry and Lady Gaga come to mind, and so does Cyndi Lauper. One of my all time favorites is Joe Cocker. Stephen Tyler is also a very Facial/Emotional performer. Luciano Pavarotti is another Triple Dominant…it is hard to imagine anyone who has ever sung who had as much Charisma as him.

11. ARE THERE OTHER THINGS YOU WOULD SUGGEST FOR BOOSTING YOUR CHARISMATIC APPEAL?

Yes… I would say to open your heart, be gentle and take care of yourself and do your homework!!