If you want to build rapport with an audience or the voting public, don't do what Hillary Clinton does throughout much of this video clip. She is being poorly coached regarding her body language. While it is true that a conventional steeple does project power along with assertiveness and an alpha persona - it should be used extremely sparingly, only for a second or two and at very specific and important moments of a speech, interview or debate.
As with most alpha signals, those who use them tend to over-use them - which is exactly what Mrs. Clinton is doing during this speech. The logic that "more is better" absolutely does not apply here. So what in very small doses is an alpha nonverbal, when used just a bit more becomes a rapport destroyer. Too much conventional steeple projects arrogance, condescending and patronizing emotional tones. It destroys likability. And likability is THE primary influencing factor when it comes to winning over the swing-voter. The largest component of likability is the nonverbal portion followed by vocal qualities (aka paralanguage) with the actual words being spoken counting for a distant third.
When we like someone, we strongly tend to minimize our disagreements. And when someone is disliked, we artificially hyper-inflate those same points of contention. Likability is of course a commonly polled metric in the political world - yet essentially no one breaks it down to its components or has any systematic way of improving upon it. Thus politicians who rely on their autopilot will often crash and burn.
Mrs. Clinton's prolonged eyelid closure further amplifies her negative emotional projection. This nonverbal cluster is extremely disengaging and distancing.
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2981: Wendy Davis, the Governor of Texas, Book Covers and Projecting the Wrong Emotions
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2304: It Came from Outer Space - Russian Meteor Event over Chelyabinsk - Don't Confuse this Reflex with Body Language
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2782: Hillary Clinton dodges a shoe - Body Language ... and Not
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2919: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - Friends? - will they Hug it Out?
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2949: Hillary Clinton at Maya Angelou's Tribute - a Body Language Signal of ....
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2847: Eric Cantor, Concession Speeches and Low Affection
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2414: Sen. John McCain after his Trip to Syria - Body Language of Regret and Contempt
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