You know those people who seem to instantly grab attention and draw others to them, almost like a magnet? It’s as though things come easily for them and people go out of their way to help them out. They attract work opportunities, friends, dates, and more.

We all want to be like that, but wonder if we can.

Are those people just born with this magnetic quality? Is it their personality? Their looks? Their intelligence? Or is it something that can be learned?

Charisma can absolutely be learned. The most important aspect is how you make other people feel. This is why the key components of charisma and personal magnetism include:

Curiosity

Curiosity feeds into empathy because when you are really interested in and curious about someone, it is easy to express empathy. Charisma people are inquisitive about a variety of topics, not just what they are interested in, but also what others are interested in. They love learning and ask compelling questions.

Empathy

Empathy is your ability to see situations and feelings from another person’s perspective. When you convey empathy to others, you show them that you understand, or seek to understand, their position. People feel that have truly heard them and that you care about them. True empathy cannot be faked. People see right through this and it is worse to feign empathy than to express none at all. Some of us are naturally higher on empathy than others, but anyone can learn to be more empathic.

Focus

Charismatic people maintain an intense level of focus on the person with whom they are speaking. When you talk to a charismatic person, you feel important, as though no one else exists in the room. This attracts you to the charismatic person and makes you feel good about yourself when you’re around them.

Presence

Your presence includes your poise, or ability to gracefully handle setbacks and your appearance. You do not need to be classically “good looking,” instead, you present yourself well and in a way that is appropriate to the situation and the image you want to project. The most important aspect of your appearance is your body language. Charismatic people have great posture, make eye contact, smile, and gesture naturally.

Do you have what it takes? Of course you do. Work on developing these skills and you may surprise yourself with just how charismatic others find you and how confident you feel.