Irish Charm, whatever happened to it?

We are supposed to be the most charming race on the face of the planet. Go to Ireland, they say, and you will be greeted with a friendly, fun race full of the joys of life. Or will you?
By: Anna Aparicio
 
Nov. 4, 2010 - PRLog -- Owen Fitzpatrick, psychologist TV presenter and author of Not Enough Hours says that to this day, friends that visit Ireland comment that it is indeed one of the friendliest countries they have ever been to. But then they go home and watch the news… and they get faced with our international representatives, the leaders of our country.

At present we find ourselves heading toward exceptionally challenging times ahead. Our leaders have promised they will do all they can to get us out of this mess. But we have lost trust in them. They do not inspire us. They do not impress us. Their interviews are not personal but a business like transaction filled with defensiveness and hopelessness.

George Bush was re-elected in 2004 as president of the United States despite huge unpopularity ratings. Many believe it was as a result of the lack of a decent competing candidate. We face the same challenge here in Ireland. Our competing political parties are run by possibly well meaning yet exceptionally forgettable candidates, none of whom we feel adequate to replace the current lot.

So, we are caught between a rock and a hard place. Ireland is becoming a corporation with a disconnect between those on the ground and the directors in their high offices. There is no identification. They are not necessarily the best of a bad bunch… but there are no inspiring candidates to replace them.

"Of course, I am being tough on them" says Owen "they face huge challenges and it can't be easy knowing that every decision made by those in power will be attacked by the opposition. But the problem I have isn't that they aren't trying. It is that they aren't inspiring. I often wonder what other countries must think when they see Brian Cowen representing us. His interviews are always a frown fest and the vast majority of time involve him arguing aggressively about something.

You can say what you want about Bertie and Charlie but both of them had a form of charisma. They were personal. Let me try an experiment on you. When you think of Bertie Ahern, how did we know him? Bertie! Barack Obama is Obama, Charlie Haughey was Haughey. On the other hand… Brian Cowan is Brian Cowan, Enda Kenny is Enda Kenny, Eamon Gilmore is Eamon Gilmore. For me, this is a simple example of the difference between charismatic leaders and non-charismatic leaders. We have shortened nicknames for them, like em or hate em!"

Owen believes there is hope though. His work specializes on helping people to become more charismatic.

"Ironically, the less you care about what people think about you the more charismatic you will be. This was one of Gerry Ryan's secrets. In my one interview with Gerry it felt like I had known him all my life. It wasn't that he learned to be charismatic. It was obviously natural. But what made him so charismatic was that he was fully himself. He wasn't trying to put on a persona to the world or trying to trick his audience into thinking he was something that he wasn't. Instead, he managed to overcome the fear that most people have of being rejected or embarrassed".

In The Charisma Bootcamp, a 4 day transformational workshop that Owen runs, the reason why the speakers are a comedian, a stylist, a magician, a leadership guru, a social media expert, a voice coach, a pitch doctor and a psychologist is because all of them have something to say on charisma. All of them have to become charismatic in some form or another in order to get their message across.

Owen goes as far as to say that if he had a day with Brian Cowen he could turn his reputation around.

Not by some PR stunt, not by some media campaign. But by doing two simple things: helping him to be more personal and helping him learn skills that would make people want to actually listen to him. "If he can get us to listen, and feel connected…. then maybe, just maybe… he can have most of our support".

The Charisma Bootcamp is an exciting 4 day event taking place in December inThe Burlington Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland.  It involves 8 guest speakers including comedian Karl Spain, Off The Rails co-presenter Sonya Lennon and Owen Fitzpatrick, presenter and author of Not Enough Hours.  www.charisma.ie/more-details

Interviews with the speakers available on www.charisma.ie/guest-speakers

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Anna Aparicio is regarded as Ireland's top female IINLP/Hypnosis Coach. A Self-image and Confidence Expert, she uses Neuro-linguistic Programming, Hypnosis and personal development tools to develop massive changes in her clients' lives, fast.
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Source:Anna Aparicio
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Tags:Anna Aparicio, Delite, Dublinnlplifecoach, Life Coach, Life Coaching, NLP, Hypnosis, Confidence, Charisma, Bootcamp
Industry:Entertainment, Government, Lifestyle
Location:Dublin - Dublin - Ireland
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