Let's face it: charisma matters | John Antonakis | TEDxLausanne

One day John's research findings gave him a shock. Children could reliably pick winners of parliamentary runoff elections only using facial appearances! More studies from politics and business helped confirm that looks could determine a leader's success. Rather than switching careers to plastic surgery, John asked: how can leaders go beyond being "faced" to connect with their audience via words and actions? John found an answer: charisma. He will show what charisma is, how it can be measured, and why it matters, from the U.S. presidency to the most frugal communication medium ever used – Twitter.
As a child John Antonakis watched his parents successfully managing their businesses, winning community leadership elections, and South Africa transitioning from apartheid to democracy. All because of leadership. John became a professor at the University of Lausanne where he carries out research on, what else? Leadership.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at