Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 1051:
The President Trumps the Speaker























Here U.S. President Barack Obama shakes the hand of John Boehner (R-OH) just prior to his 2012 State of the Union Address. He makes sure to assert his Presidential dominance by having his hand on top of the Speaker's. Although one can make the argument, that if President were completely given to bipartisanship, his hand would be oriented vertically (perpendicular to the floor) - there is a natural nonverbal tendency in this setting to compensate for standing lower on the podium.

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