Emotion is captivating.  We like to watch it on TV, which is why so many people watch reality TV shows even though they know they shouldn’t.  We put actors on pedestals, because they are practiced emoters.  We even elect former actors President, because they’re able to look authentic doing what they do best:  playing a part. 

So if you’re the type who has a hard time expressing emotions, or if your business or professional training has put a premium on control rather than expressiveness, you’ve got a problem.  You’re going to be a boring speaker.

The solution is to open up a little.  And the way to find your chops is to rehearse, so that you don’t go to uncomfortable extremes when you’re actually live and in person in front of an audience.  Charisma, after all, is the tactful expression of a range of emotions.  Laughing in the face of someone else’s tragedy, for example, is not charismatic, just wrong.

So try the ‘happy-sad’ rehearsal.  Here’s how it works.  You start giving your speech, emoting as much happiness as you can.  Not in the words — it’s cheating to say, ‘I’m really really happy’ — but in your non-verbal cues — tone of voice, facial expression, gesture.  You do this in front of a small audience of close friends or colleagues who won’t surreptitiously tape you and put it on You Tube.  As soon as they see and feel real happiness, they shout ‘SAD!’ and it’s your job, without changing the speech content, to start emoting as much sadness as you can.  Again, it’s all about the tone of voice, the facial expressions, and the gestures. 

Once you’ve convinced the audience of your sadness, they shout ‘HAPPY!’ and you’re back to happy again.

The idea is to be over-the-top happy and sad in turn.  It loosens you up and helps you prepare for the real thing.  If you do this a few days before the actual speech, you’ll retain some of that animation during the performance, and you’ll be more charismatic as a result. 

It works; try it.