Not surprisingly during his press conference, the Wisconsin Governor displayed many key body language moments - and multiple facial expressions of regret. In the video above this important nonverbal signal is very classic and quite noticeable during 0:16 - immediately after he says the crucial statement, "... I will suspend my campaign immediately ..."
Although he's looking down for more reasons than just to refer to his notes, some particularly essential distinctions to make here include the lateral (sideways) movement of Mr. Walker's cheeks and mouth - along with the corners of his mouth down-turned as the lips are stretching and thinning. This mouth configuration of regret is prototypical - and it's made all day long all - but it's nearly always glossed over or more often outright missed. Walker shows us his regret "on display" in a very expected context - so many more people will "see" it (even though they missed this same emotion hundreds of times on their loved-ones and business associates faces' just in the past few days).
If you contrast these two videos of Donald Trump on David Letterman's Show - other than the obvious aging of both men - one thing should jump out. Note the mouth and lip movements of Mr. Trump. They are much more dramatic in the 2015 video vs. the one from 1987.
Hyperbolic mouth and lip movements are exhibited by those who perceive themselves to be the alpha - superior in some capacity compared to those with whom they're speaking. It's a commonly overlooked signal of arrogance and patronizing emotional mindsets.
Most of the time this condescending nonverbal phenomenon is contextual. For example, if a college professor was speaking to a lecture hall full of freshman - he or she may very well display such dramatic facial movements. Yet an hour later when the same person is speaking to a colleague who is their intellectual equal, this illustrator would be noticeably absent. A further important distinction is seen when a person uses such excessive nonverbals on a long-term basis. Chronic displays of hyperbolic mouth, lips and other facial movements, with rare exception, are reliable signals of narcissistic personality disorder.
Of course some people may say, "That's just the way Mr. Trump speaks. It's idiosyncratic to him." And while this is true for a small subset of people - it's not so for Donald Trump. For not only are his mouth and lip movements exaggerated - but in some cases they are wrong configurations relative to words being spoken (e.g. melodrama). And when we contrast these videos of Mr. Trump taken approximately 28 years apart, although we can see its subtle signs in the earlier video, it's obvious there has been a considerable progression toward these magnified movements.
Not surprisingly, narcissism often grows with wealth.
Most of the time this nonverbal signal is quite subtle (such as in the college professor example cited above). But you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who exhibited these particular mouth, lip, facial exaggerated movements more than Donald Trump.
Above is Gov. Walker's initial campaign video - and it contains some crucial body language misdirects which will play a pivotal role in preventing him from winning national office (however there is time to correct them).
Scott Walker has droopy eyelids - the medical term for this is "bilateral ptosis" - a condition he most likely had when he was born (thus "bilateral congenital ptosis") or developed early in life. And although he has been able to twice win a gubernatorial race of a mid-sized state and survive a recall - the unintended nonverbal signals transmitted due directly from his congenital ptosis will prevent him from winning the Presidential election and with a very high probability the republican primary as well. People will often misinterpret others' with bilateral ptosis of being constantly tired. And a low-energy persona is certainly a huge rapport destroyer. Others will get false feelings of constant aloofness. Moreover when a person is feeling (and projecting) even subtle anger, contempt or disgust - partially closing the eyelids will amplify these emotions. Of course we all (along with Governor Walker) feel these emotions from time to time and (hopefully) do well to contain them. However when one has droopy eyelids - people will interpret the levels of these emotions to be much higher than they truly are - and thus the observers will take on similar feelings.
The far right likes (even adores) Governor Walker - there can be no doubt about it. The far left can't stand him - no head scratching there either. Yet to win a national election a candidate from any party must capture a substantial portion of the center 1/3 of the electorate. These independent voters - more so than the political extremes - are governed by a candidate's likability - and the primary component of likability is body language. All things being equal, a person with bilateral ptosis is significantly less likable. There is of course enough time for the Governor to get plastic surgery. And while cosmetic surgery is dramatically over used - this is one example of a surgical procedure which will profoundly change the way people think and feel about another person's character.
There's many other nonverbal signals in this campaign video - what other fundamentals did you see? Which are rapport-building .... and which (other than the ptosis) are rapport destroyers?
Donald Trump's personality is generally very confrontational. Some would describe it as an "in your face" style - while others would label him with having narcissistic personality disorder.
Here, "The Donald" is shown in two contrasting hand-arm gestures (aka "illustrators"). Prior to the primaries, you may notice that virtually all candidates will use alpha - and even hyper-alpha body language displays much more frequently. After the primary, although such nonverbals are still used, their frequency diminishes. This behavior is virtually all subconsciously driven and done so in an effort to draw distinctions between their competitors who have very similar political ideologies. Yet the hyper-alpha body language always backfires. Rather than building rapport, hyper-alpha nonverbal signals destroy it. Only those who already are aligned with the candidate will be attracted to such behavior - all others will be alienated.
Below Mr. Trump is shown pointing with a "palms-up" illustrator. This accomplishes the goal of drawing visual attention ("pointing") - yet it does so in a rapport-building manner. While still demonstrating assertiveness and authority it has none of the negative side-effects of the above displayed index finger pointing (aka forefinger point). Narcissistic personalities have difficulty grasping and accomplishing this important distinction. What "feels right" to them - has the opposite emotional impact on others (for those who use such index finger pointing excessively [or even moderately] lack empathy and suffer an excess of ego). Index finger pointing is negatively received across all cultures.
A profound and almost never recognized benefit of a less aggressive/kinder hand-arm gesture - is its effect on the face. Tension in the hand will be mirrored on the face - as well as the emotional status. And a kinder, empathetic hand will produce a kinder face. This effect is greatly demonstrated in these two images. An astute person will recognize this hand-face relationship and use it as a biofeedback tool to regulate their emotions (there are of course many others).
While Donald Trump is currently enjoying a boost in the polls when compared with most of the 2016 republican presidential candidates - he is simply not likable. In order to win a presidential primary (let alone a general election) a candidate must be likable. And the largest component in the likability equation is body language.
Donald Trump will absolutely not win the republican nomination.
Martin O'Malley, a former Governor of Maryland, announced his candidacy for the 2016 Presidential election today in Baltimore. In the above video at 1:07 Governor O'Malley continues, "... and that is why today, to you and to all who can hear my voice, I declare that I am a candidate for President of the United States - and I - am running - for you ..." Immediately prior to his declaration (1:06 - 1:07), O'Malley wipes his forehead with his right shirt sleeve. No doubt his forehead was sweating - for it was warm and he, of course, has understandable anxiety. However this nonverbal MAP (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) can be further nuanced - for this arm is also covering both eyes and indeed most of his face. It's considerably rare for anyone with even a moderate amount of public speaking experience, let alone a former governor and now presidential candidate to display this level of facial touching in the midst of a speech or press conference (and never recommended). This bilateral eye cover is an example of emotional processing. Said another way - his emotions are somewhat overloaded with the enormity of the moment, and although his intellect has planned for this event - his emotional brain is playing catch-up.
A Reminder: This website serves as an objective reference source for the science and art of Body Language/Nonverbal Communication. In an effort to be both practical and academic, many examples from/of varied cultures, politicians, professional athletes, legal cases, public figures, etc. are cited in order to teach and illustrate both the interpretation of others' body language as well as the projection of one's own nonverbal skills in many different contexts - not to advance any political, religious or other agenda.
Yesterday Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) announced his candidacy for the 2016 Presidency of the United States. Without a doubt, the junior Senator from Florida needs to improve his nonverbal skills - and while he has and continues to commit his share (or more) of faux pas, yesterday he displayed an example of a body language signal - of which its underlying emotion we need to see much more of in politics.
The above video is an edited portion of Senator Rubio's announcement. These three images are taken from the very beginning portion.
This first image was captured at 0:08, just as he finished up the word, "... States ..."
At 0:09, Senator Rubio closes his eyelids in an extended blink as his face blushes and he suppresses a sincere smile.
Senator Rubio then looks down to his right (still 0:09 and for several seconds thereafter).
In the great majority of right-handed people, when they look down to the right when they are emotionally processing of someone or something close to their heart - a person, an idea, image, repercussion, memory, etc. His prolonged eyelid closure and blushing are also congruent nonverbal displays.
Whether you agree with a person's politics or not, it's important to always strive to be objective ("Rationalization is THE great human sport." S.King). More specifically, when assessing any politician - such attempts at objectivity should always involve separating political opinions from character issues. And while no candidate is perfect - in this moment, this particular politician is projecting a very human emotion - he is humbled by what he is undertaking.
The vast majority of higher level politicians are very practiced when it comes to NOT touching their faces during conversations, negotiations, interviews and speeches. And yet the large bulk of these same politicians are not nearly as skilled as they believe.
Today Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) announced his 2016 candidacy for Presidency of the United States. If you watched his speech (which by most accounts was a fairly good one), did you catch how many times he touched his face? .... or how many times YOU touched your face during your last conversation?
Beginning at 17:07 Senator Paul continues, "... Without question we must defend ourselves and American interests from our enemies ... but until we NAME the enemy we can't win the war .... (long applause, then he rubs his left eyebrow with his left index finger [aka forefinger] at 17:25) ..... The enemy is radical Islam - you can't get around it ..."
When a unilateral eye or eyebrow rub is displayed - usually during or just prior to a statement, but sometimes afterwards - there is a very high likelihood that a lie is about to be told, is being said - or has just been spoken.
How many times does Rand Paul touch his face or neck during this particular speech?
Perhaps Senator Paul believes those who belong to the groups he terms, "radical Islam" are indeed a threat - but this threat is greatly exaggerated. Or maybe he believes that those who he calls radical Islamic - are radical yes - but not truly Islamic (however he may believe that this will get him the numbers he needs for the republican nomination). Paul may believe that our greatest threat comes from Russia ... Or from within our own borders. It would helpful to ask him a series of questions in an interview style to flesh-out the details of these thought-emotions further - but you can be sure this Presidential candidate just told a fib.
What other body language signal did Senator Paul show (and that's clustered with the eye rub) which indicates deception?
Ms.
Fiorina's VERBAL statement was straightforward - "Higher than 90%".
Most people would judge, and rightly so, when reading between the lines
this - this is essentially saying 99% or higher - but why? It's because of her body language (and paralanguage). What specifically does her body language say?
Is it congruent or is there disparity between her verbal and nonverbal
messages?
When Chris Wallace asks, "What are the chances - that you're going to run for President?" - Fiorina answers, "Very high."
Wallace then says, "You, You're a former business woman, give me a number."
This image captured at 0:30 shows a suppressed smile
(Please watch the video as the dynamics of her facial movement better
demonstrates this subtle yet significant tell). What does this tell you?
0:32
Ms. Fiorina answers, "Higher than ninety-percent".
During
the word "Higher", her eyes close for an extended blink. In this
context, particularly timed to this word - indicates a significantly
elevated level of confidence.
During the 0:32 - 0:34 segment (as she says the words, "ninety-percent",
Carly Fiorina displays a mild-to-moderate and classic Self-Righteous
Head Wiggle (SRHW) nonverbal signal with a torso component (Please watch
the video as a still image simply cannot capture this dynamism).
A
self-righteous head wiggle - as the names implies - is side-to-side
movement of the head/jaw and or torso (with usually a moderately high
frequency of oscillation). It may involve just the head & neck with
little or no torso component, while sometimes it's almost entirely a
torso signal and to varying degrees with jaw involvement. It's very
important to not confuse the SRHW with the more common and mundane "no"
head signal or head-wag (however negative words may be used) or other
head and neck body language.
When displaying the
SRHW, people very much feel that they are in relative alpha position.
Such alpha mindsets of course feel very passionately about the subjects
of which they are speaking - however it's possible, even common to see
this nonverbal dynamic in the absence of any verbalization.
It's
also interesting to note that the frequency and volume of the spoken
word often increase during or just before displaying the self-righteous
head/torso/jaw wiggle. Moreover, a forward motion vector (in addition to
the primary side-to-side movement) is often superimposed. This second
motion dynamic is often seen when there is a component of scolding or
reprimanding. In contrast, when a backward motion is seen (again,
superimposed on the side-to-side movement) - this often indicates an
incredulity or an overlapping emotion of disgust.
When Chris Wallace says, "Really?", the former HP CEO answers, "Yes sir." (0:34 - 0:35) - During which she displays another extended blink.
Both the self-righteous head wiggle (with torso and/or jaw components) as well as the prolonged eyelid closures (extended duration blinking) when used very sparingly will send signals of high confidence and an alpha emotional tone. However many who use these and other alpha nonverbals (99.8% of the time subconsciously driven) will very often end up over-using them. Thus what in small doses sends signals of confidence and assertiveness - when used only slightly more (and here Ms. Fiorina does indeed overuse these during this interview) will project arrogance and a condescending mindset. This will not build rapport - it will destroy it. A candidate or any leader must certainly look the part - yet arrogance does not capture that middle third of the electorate. And without the emotional buy-in of the swing voter, no one can win in November.
A Reminder: This website serves as an objective reference source for the science and art of Body Language/Nonverbal Communication. In an effort to be both practical and academic, many examples from/of varied cultures, politicians, professional athletes, legal cases, public figures, etc. are cited in order to teach and illustrate both the interpretation of others' body language as well as the projection of one's own nonverbal skills in many different contexts - not to advance any political or religious agenda.
Ted Cruz has leaked the fact that tomorrow he will formally announce his 2016 candidacy for the Presidency of the United States. Politics aside, the freshman Senator from Texas has absolutely no chance to win either the Republican nomination - let alone the White House. One non-political reason is - while he's very good at stirring up emotions, Cruz lacks even a fundamental understanding of building likability and rapport - and the psychology behind it. Without such knowledge and ability, no candidate will ever capture a significant fraction of that middle 1/3 of the electorate.
One example of this interpersonal blind spot is demonstrated above. This image was captured last month at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference - of course a very friendly audience for a republican candidate - yet even here faux pas abound.
Note Cruz is pointing his index finger towards the audience. Forefinger (index finger) pointing is universally offensive across all cultures on the planet - so even if a republican is in front of a conservative group - THIS BODY LANGUAGE WILL ALIENATE. Moreover his finger pointing is the only thing preventing his hand from forming a full, closed-fist. Such an 80% fist is another high-tension illustrator which destroys rapport. In addition Cruz's arm/fist is raised - further drawing tension. And while perhaps solidifying his hardline followers, this gesture pushes away the vast majority of any possible "maybe voters".
Another profoundly important nonverbal principle demonstrated in this image is the correlation between the Senator's face and his hands. When the emotions are sincere - hand tension will tend to strongly mirror facial tension - and vice versa. When the emotions are being feigned - the hands and facial stress levels will very often be quite disparate. Thus we can conclude absolutely that Senator Cruz's anger and disgust displayed on his face in this moment are indeed very sincere - for this anger is reflected by the configuration of his left arm, fist and forefinger - yet these will not build rapport or get him the swing voters he or any candidate needs.
