Charisma = Warmth + Competence: The Vanessa Van Edwards Formula
16 September 2025
What makes someone truly charismatic?
We’ve all met people who light up a room, effortlessly drawing others in with their presence. Behavioural investigator Vanessa Van Edwards, author of Captivate and Cues, has spent years researching this phenomenon. Her findings reveal that charisma is not a mystical gift, but a learnable skill — built on the delicate balance of warmth and competence.
Vanessa Van Edwards is a behavioural investigator, author, speaker and trainer who focuses on science-based people skills, communication, body language, nonverbal cues, charisma.
She’s the founder of Science of People, a lab / platform that studies human behaviour and teaches people how to improve their interpersonal skills.