Saturday, November 23, 2013

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2617: Walter Cronkite Announces President John Kennedy's Death - Body Language and Suppression of Grief (VIDEO, PHOTOS)




"From Dallas, Texas, the flash, apparently official, President Kennedy died at One P.M. Central Standard Time; Two O'clock Eastern Standard Time; some thirty eight minutes ago ...[tongue-in-cheek at 0:19 mark and imaged below] ... Vice President [voice crack] Johnson [cough] has left the hospital in ah Dallas, but we do not know ah, to where he has proceeded - ah presumably he will be taking the oath of office shortly and become ah, the thirty-sixth President of the United States."  

The "Tongue-in-Cheek" facial expression (in the above video at 1:31 and captured in the image below) has several possible meanings depending on the other nonverbal signals with which it is clustered (can you name them all?). In this most famous news clip wherein Walter Cronkite announces President John Kennedy's death, we see an example of this body language being used to suppress grief. Moreover Cronkite's cracking voice along with his cough to clear his throat, example paralanguage congruencies with this emotion.

What other body language does Mr. Cronkite display which is also signaling the suppressing of sadness and curtailing tears?

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2233:  Body Language, President Obama, 20 Children  and the Tongue-in-Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2434:  Brad Pitt's Tongue-in-Cheek regarding  Reasons for Choosing to Work on "World War Z"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2530: Tom Coburn, Obamacare and Anxiety - Body Language Tell on a Senator's Face

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1153:  President Obama's Tongue in Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2352:  Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek  Graham Norton Part II

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2554: Harry Reid's Body Language Lets Us Know What He's Thinking - Short Term Debt Limit Hike 

Nonverbal Communication Test No. 2465:  Barack Obama's Comments on  Trayvon Martin & George Zimmerman Body Language & Sincerity 
 



















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