1.2
EXPLORING PERSONALITY
10
3
CHARISMA
READING
1
Look at the photos of famous people. Work with a
partner to discuss the following.
1
What do you know about the people in the photos
on this page?
2
Think of three qualities which you associate with
each person.
2
a
Scan the article quickly and answer the questions.
1
Which people are mentioned in the article?
2
What do (or did) they do to earn a living?
2
b
Identifying topic sentences
Read the article again and
put the first sentence of each paragraph in the correct gap.
a
Unfortunately, we can also find examples of people
who have misused their charisma.
b
Is charisma dangerous?
c
Most people will recognise the woman in this photo.
d
Most of us expect our leaders to have charisma.
e
Nowadays, psychologists are taking a greater interest
in charisma
and want to redefine its meaning.
us and offer us a vision of a
better future. But is charisma
a good or bad thing? There are
many examples of people who
use charisma in a positive way.
Steve Jobs was one of the
technology experts who changed
the way most people think about
computers. He was a charismatic
speaker who introduced many
new products to the world that
revolutionised the way we
communicate. Angelina Jolie is
an example of a celebrity who
uses her position to bring the
public’s attention to difficult
situations in many countries.
4
In the business
world, many top business
executives have misused their
charisma and acted in a way
that greatly damaged their
companies. Some have even
been arrested for their crimes,
and we can all think of famous
people who have disappointed
millions of fans with their
actions.
5
It certainly is
when it causes us to lose our
critical judgement, and this is
frequently the case. When we
choose to admire someone, it is
important to consider whether
they have the knowledge,
wisdom and experience to
improve things. That is what
really matters.
IN FOCUS | CHARISMA
A
B
C
D
1
She is Oprah Winfrey,
the American talk show host, actress,
producer and philanthropist. In the photo,
she is
speaking to her audience
. Oprah
Winfrey regularly gives talks all over the
world to young people. She tells them that
anything can happen if they work hard
and never give up on their dream. She is
currently teaching a class at her school in
South Africa called ‘Life 101’ in which
she is sharing her knowledge about
achieving success. She inspires young
people because she has a special quality –
charisma.
2
They point out that
people often misunderstand what charisma
is and think of it as a kind of fame, but
it is not the same as the celebrity of
overrated Hollywood stars. Charisma is
a kind of magic and it is relatively rare.
Charismatic personalities are able to
draw people to them, and they succeed in
getting others to see them as a leader.
3
We want them to inspire
Charisma
