Communicating Charismatically: the Science of Charisma (412)

16 and 31 October 2025

Prof. John Antonakis

In this workshop, we will look at the importance of charismatic communication for science settings. We will explore charisma in terms of how it resides in the perceptions of observers and how they use slivers of information to make large inferences about your competence. To the extent that you are able to communicate in effective ways will determine whether the message will stick and whether the individual/s you are attempting to influence will be engaged in your vision. We will examine what determines a charismatic vision and break it down into tangible indicators that can be measured and taught. We will do exercises and role plays to practice the concepts learned in class. Although based on serious science, the module will be very practical and fun, and will provide you the tools to become more effective communicators and leaders.

Workshop content

Understanding why individuals identify with charismatic individuals:

• Defining charisma
• Showing charisma matters across a variety of performance domains
• Discussing why charisma matters
• The measurement and development of charisma

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this workshop participants will be able to: 

• Speak with confidence in public settings
• Ensuring a technical message is understood by a to broad audience

University of Lausanne

Dates: Thursday 16th and Friday 31st October 2025

Schedule: 9 am to 4 pm

Place: University of Lausanne

Trainer:

John Antonakis is Professor of Organizational Behavior in the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His research is currently focused on the psychology of leadership including: Charisma, predictors of leadership (e.g., personality, intelligence), leader development, as well as on research methods.
He has published articles in many prestigious journals including Science, Nature Human Behavior, Psychological Science, Psychological Methods, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Operations Management, Management Science, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, and Harvard Business Review, among many others; he has also published four books, and dozens of book chapters and conferences proceedings. He has received more than US$2.45 million in funding for his research. He teaches organizational behavior (Bachelor level), leadership (Master level), and causal analysis and statistics (Ph.D. level).

Prof. Antonakis is former Editor in Chief of The Leadership Quarterly. He was previously associate editor for The Leadership Quarterly and Organizational Research Methods, and has served too on the editorial boards of several top journals in management and applied psychology. In 2019 he was named a highly cited scientist by Clarivate-Web of Science group. In 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 he was listed by PLOS Biology in the world's top 2% of scientists for career-long impact. Apart from his scientific contributions John is also a thought-provoking and inspirational speaker. He trains diverse audiences, in business, public administration, and international organizations. His work has been covered by very prestigious media outlets like New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Guardian, NEWSWEEK, Daily Mail, BBC News, Forbes, The New Yorker, Business Insider, Fast Company, The Atlantic, and many hundreds of other news sources, including TV (e.g., RTS at 29:15) and Radio (e.g., PBS first 20 mins).

Participants are eligible for reimbursement of incurred travel expenses by train between the city of their university and the location of the workshop (half-fare card, 2nd class).

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