Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3457: Chelsea Clinton refers to Bernie Sanders as "President Sanders" - Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Whom among us hasn't misspoke before - even with regard to very important issues? Most of us however, are not running for President or speaking directly on their behalf - particularly in such a public forum.

In the above video, while campaigning for Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton mistakenly refers to Senator Sanders as "President Sanders". And while republicans or those supporting Bernie Sanders, may find her mistake humorous - in the context of this blog, the video of this recent incident is included as a real-world teaching example of body language.

Beginning at 0:04, Chelsea says, "... We also need to strip away the immunity that President Sanders  - [inaudible] - excuse me, that Senator Sanders, I hope not President Sanders [crowd laughing and jeering ], that Senator Sanders, that Senator Sanders voted for ..."

0:10 as she says, "... President Sanders ...", Chelsea's eyelids open in a "White and Wide" configuration - a  classic example of a nonverbal manifestation of fear.

A fraction of a second earlier (earlier during 0:10 as she said, "... I hope not ..."), we see Chelsea's eyebrows drawn downward and together along with a contraction and lowering of the central forehead muscles in a classic expression of critical evaluation.

Ms. Clinton's sitting forward/re-adjusting/sitting-up in her chair is a very telling body language signal - and not surprisingly, it's indicative of anxiety - but more specifically anxiety which calls upon one's psyche to up-regulate (e.g., to "step it up").


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3456: Martin Shkreli Pleads the Fifth before Congress

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3454: Donald Trump - Buying the Farm after 2nd Place Finish in Iowa Caucuses

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3453: Marco Rubio's Hyper-Alpha, Backfiring Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3021: Barack Obama's Executive Action on Immigration - What the President's Body Language Said Before He Even Spoke

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3442: Jennifer Lawrence Scolds Journalist at Golden Globes

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3255: Donald Trump and a Body Language Signal of Social Fear and Hesitancy 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2274: The Eyes & Mouth of Fear - Body Language of Ahmed Dogan during Attempted Assassination

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 1106: Subtle Fear Display of al-Assad

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3446: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Body Language


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2968: President Obama tells a Lie in Jest and yet ... (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

When a lie is told in jest or a hyperbole is spoken - "everyone is in on it" - thus the shared lie or gross exaggeration becomes part of the psychology of the joke or story. A similar phenomenon occurs in the scenario of a "white lie". The consequences of being caught in these "little lies" are minimal - if anything at all. Moreover it is a fundamental nonverbal axiom that the ability to convincingly commit a deception is proportional to the ramifications of being caught.

With the above premise in mind, it is very interesting to note that recently at the Clinton Global Initiative event when Barack Obama said, "I was just discussing with [ear rub] President Clinton that if ah Chelsea begins delivery while I'm speaking - she has my motorcade and will be able to navigate traffic ..." he rubbed his right ear.  This act demonstrates that the President is not a "good liar", for even in the context of a shared-joke his body language still betrays him.

Note also that the President's downward head-neck configuration and his prolonged eyelid closure add congruity and thus validity to this cluster-context of deception.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Quiz-Analysis No. 2967: George Clooney & Amal Alamuddin Wed in Venice - All The World's a Stage - Sincerity level of Smiles

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2946: Barack Obama's 10 September 2014 ISIS Speech - Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2807: Barack Obama at 2014 White House Correspondents' Dinner

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2939: Barack Obama in Tallinn, Estonia

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2745: Vladimir Putin Deception regarding Crimea

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1907:  Governor Rick Scott tells a Lie

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2701: Cuddling, Romance, Affection and Foot-Shunning

Dating & Romance Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1010:  What Makes the Twinkle in Her Eye? - Rashida Jones 
 

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2534: Bill and Hillary are going to be Grandparents; President Clinton's Body Language is Telling Us that Chelsea is Pregnant (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Bill and Hillary Clinton are going to be grandparents. You heard it here first: Chelsea Clinton is pregnant. Bill let the cat out of the bag yesterday when he was interviewed by Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell at a Clinton Global Initiative event. Not so much with what he said but with his body language and paralanguage. The following dissects a few key moments of the soon-to-be proud grandpa's nonverbal tells.

Note: The original video has, since the original post, been removed from its online source. The images below however, were captured from this video.

As Charlie Rose asks whether Hillary would rather be President or a grandmother, Bill blushes and laughs. This can be seen at 2:39 - 2:40 in the video. These two combined along with the stalling tactic of taking a drink (Bill anticipated this with Charlie's slow softball pitch question). Less than one second later at 2:40 we can even hear the coffee mug clank on the former President's teeth. This is a relative rare event for most people and this belies a high anxiety level which can be further evidenced by Mr. Clinton's hand shaking for a few oscillations as he navigates the cup near his mouth at 2:41.

Also at 2:41 we can see a mild surprise as Bill's forehead contracts and his lids open wider as he simultaneously suppresses this eyelid dynamic in order attempt to mask his surprise expression.

At 2:46, President Clinton looks down to his right (where most right-handed people look to during emotional moments - although Mr. Clinton is left-handed; so classically this would be interpreted as his own internal dialog - e.g. choosing his words in his head before he speaks aloud).

This is done just prior to Bill saying, "... But I have found it's best not to discuss that issue." His voice noticeably cracks during this particular sentence - strongly suggestive of anxiety.

But just prior to that the former President says, "If you ask her, I think she'd say grandf-mother ....". This is another manifestation of his anxiety. He is perhaps the best spoken politician of modern times, yet here he misspoke. He starts to say grandfather, but corrects himself and finishes the word out with "mother". Listen carefully for this subtle error. We all commit similar mistakes, yet here this paralanguage signal, taken together with other similar missteps and his multiple nonverbal signals, tell us of his natural excitement in his anticipation of becoming a grandfather.

In this image (with close-ups below) we see the former President sitting on his hands.

This is extremely rare for any alpha male and with the other signals seen in these crucial seconds, is very reminiscent of a schoolboy suppressing his excitement. He is trying hard to keep a secret.

A further manifestation of this same emotion (ergo part of this "nonverbal cluster" aka "body language sentence") are his locked ankles and legs rocking back and forth. 








Congratulations Bill, Hillary, Chelsea and Marc (Dad). Enjoy every minute.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2487:  Chelsea Clinton's Beta Body Language - The Elevated Fig Leaf

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2523:  Hillary Clinton, Body Language and the 2016 Presidency -  Rapport Builder vs. Rapport Destroyer

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2128:  Mitt Romney's & Bill Clinton's Body Language  during Mitt's Joke at 2012 Clinton Global Initiative

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 441:  Bill Clinton's Rapport and His Temporary Universe

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1499:  Bill Clinton's Empathy for Eric Fehrnstrom and  Mitt Romney ... What's Your Sincerity Quotient?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2363: Hillary Clinton, Body Language and the Political Point -  Hand Tension Correlations with Facial Tension

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2490:  Hillary Clinton and the Two-Handed Point - The American Bar Association, Body Language ...Variations on a Theme 

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2487: Chelsea Clinton's Beta Body Language - The Elevated Fig Leaf (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

In the video above Chelsea Clinton is interviewed in Kigali, Rwanda. She speaks briefly about her work with the Clinton Global Initiative as well as possible future political aspirations. 

During the interview Ms. Clinton very evanescently displays an example of the low conventional steeple (bottom photo). Most politicians and public figures who display this particular MAP (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) end up over-doing it. When over-displayed this (and other) alpha nonverbals have the effect of transmitting arrogance and patronizing feelings. Chelsea however displays this particular gesture sparingly and thus avoids sending such signals.

However Chelsea over-uses two similar variations of an elevated fig-leaf.

A traditional fig-leaf (see cross-references below) has both hands clasped in front of the groin region. And while there are certainly occasions when such body language should be used (at funerals, meeting with high level religious figures, weddings, religious ceremonies, in situations where you want to show respect and deliberate beta behavior, etc.), in general, the fig-leaf should be avoided for it sends signals of overly beta behavior.

In the first two photos, Ms. Clinton is configured in two variations of an elevated-fig leaf. In the first photo her fingers are intertwined and in the second her left hand is holding her right fist. Both of these are just below chest-level. This appears to be her default hand-arm position (in between the use of hand-arm illustrators) throughout this (edited) video. Such body language should be avoided for the elevated fig-leaf sends signals of lower confidence and lower assertiveness. It effectively says, "I am a Beta".

It is possible that Bill and Hillary's daughter is using such hand gestures because she is mirroring the reporter's. Television news personnel are notorious for extremely overusing both the low and mid-steeple as well as the elevated fig-leaf.

Many women are accustomed to using the fig-leaf or its elevated versions in an effort to appear more feminine. This is a mistake. There is, of course, a big difference between looking feminine and projecting signals of low confidence. If you want to be perceived as an alpha, use the fig-leaf and its cousins only in carefully selected scenarios.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1563: Geithner and Holder  In Deference to the President -  One Occasion to Use the Fig Leaf

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2313:  Elisa Lam Video in Elevator at Cecil Hotel -  What Her Body Language Tells Us ....

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1770:  White House Correspondents' Dinner - Lindsay Lohan's Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2063:  Mitt Romney and Ed Miliband -  Under Used and Backfiring Uses of Hands

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2431:  Wendi Deng & Rupert Murdoch  Who was More Dominant? Body Language Signals

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2419:  Sexual Assault in U.S. Military  Senate Armed Services Hearings -  Kirsten Gillibrand and a Body Language Crescendo

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2208:  President Obama & Mitt Romney in the Oval Office -  Multiple Body Language Tells

Can you rank all three photos in order from most beta to most alpha?

What are some other nonverbals displayed in this interview?












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