Best known for playing Elsa in Disney's "Frozen" or for playing Elphaba in the Broadway musical "Wicked" - today Idina Menzel sung the National Anthem before a little game called the Super Bowl.
The image above is from earlier in the week during one of the many pre-game press conferences (Thursday 29 Jan 2015). The NFL chose wisely (one of their few such decisions this year) when they picked a Plexiglas lectern (some erroneously refer to it as a podium). Regardless of the nomenclature though, the fact that it is clear allows us to see more of the speaker. The more we can see of whoever is speaking - the more we trust them. This greater visibility readily translates into increased likeability and thus more marketability.
This has become a small but significant trend in the last few years - yet not nearly enough. Politicians, CEOs and anyone who makes regular or even occasional but important speeches should purchase a similarly transparent lectern and make it part of their leadership/press appearance wardrobe - for though it seems just a small thing to some, it certainly engenders significant rapport and its value should not be underestimated.
The use of a Plexiglas lectern is not a pure body language display - it's an adjunct. And there are of course many, many nonverbal signals a person can use which will build rapport and likeability ... or destroy them.
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3086: Katy Perry's Super Bowl XLIX press conference highlights - A Key Body Language Tell
Negotiation Body Language Secret No. 919: How Newt Gingrich Stands Influences Voters
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2440: Vladimir Putin Dials Up His Alpha ... Foot Position, Projecting Leadership, Confidence & Body Language
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2490: Hillary Clinton and the Two-Handed Point - The American Bar Association, Body Language and Variations on a Theme
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