Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3729: The 3rd Presidential Debate - Donald Trump v. Hillary Clinton - Part I - Vladimir Putin, Body Language & Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton faced off tonight in the third and final Presidential Debate of the 2016 campaign. The debate was held at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

During the portion of the debate when the topics of Vladimir Putin, alleged Russian hacking and their attempts to influence the American election were discussed - it was also the time when Donald Trump displayed the highest level of anxiety. What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis of this exchange.

Deep sniffing (seen/heard during multiple times in the above video): Although other medical influences cannot be ruled out, Mr. Trump's deep sniffing is in part a nervous, tic-like behavior. His deep inhalations in this debate were most frequent during his discussion of Putin and Russia.

Drinking water (0:53 - 0:55): Although Mr. Trump drank water less tonight compared with the other two debates - he did so multiple times (Secretary Clinton did not drink water during tonight's debate). The mouth and throat both grow dry as a normal physiologic response to anxiety.

False Microphone Adjustments (1:00 - 1:02): Mr. Trump adjusted his microphone at least seven times during tonight's debate (more than either of the two previous Presidential Debates). This is a surrogate behavior for self-touching and is both a signal of anxiety (as is displayed here), however it can also be a signal deception (depending on the other nonverbal signals with which it is clustered).

Summary: The portion of tonight's Presidential Debate triggering the highest level of anxiety for Donald Trump was during the discussion of Vladimir Putin and alleged Russian Hacking.


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3728: Barack Obama Tells Donald Trump to Stop Whining

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3726: Donald Trump Accuser - Kristin Anderson - Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3724: The 2nd Presidential Debate - Donald Trump v. Hillary Clinton - Emotional Intelligence and a Profoundly Telling Body Language Signal

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3722: The 2nd Presidential Debate - Donald Trump v. Hillary Clinton - One Positive Thing They Respect about Each Other

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3704: Hillary Clinton, Likability and Presidential Debates

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3683: Milo Yiannopoulos believes trolling is his way of "Doing God's work" 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3669: Jordan Spieth, Bill Murray and the Asymmetrical Smile

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3634: Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the Democratic National Convention, Emails and Body Language


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3592: Gary Johnson, The Libertarian Party and Beta Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Gary Johnson, the 2016 Libertarian Candidate for President is featured in the above video with Erin Burnett. During the interview, whenever the camera pans out to a wider angle, we can see that the former Governor of New Mexico is wearing his Nike's.

Now if he were campaigning at a state fair or baseball game, it would be very contextual for Governor Johnson to wear athletic shoes - if he also had on jeans and a casual shirt. But in the CNN studio while wearing a suit and tie, he never should have on these shoes. We all like comfort, but appearing in such footwear with a suit during an interview in NO WAY projects presidential power. It is possible that Gov. Johnson was told or believed that the camera would only include his head and torso - yet this two term governor is not a political rookie and should never had made such a mistake. In addition, he should also know that such a casual off-camera persona directly affects the manner in which anyone - including how news professionals will treat him.

Notice also that Gov. Johnson's ankles are crossed. If we were to ask him about this he'd probably say, "Well this was comfortable" - or something similar. Yet with respect to nonverbal communication, in order for one to be physically comfortable, they must first be emotionally comfortable. This is a significantly Beta Body Language configuration. It projects a lower confidence level and tentativeness. Moreover, if alternatively he would have had one foot resting on each of two adjacent legs - along with leaning and sitting slightly forward in his chair - it would have not only looked more action-oriented, confident, strong and assertive, but such body language would have also increased his confidence level along with engendering both the fluidity of the candidate's thinking as well as his speaking (which certainly helps when you're being interviewed on national TV).

Beginning at 4:33, Johnson says, "Well one of my sssstrengths isss that I, I tell the truth ..."

Note the candidate's excessive stuttering during his declaration of honesty. This is a red flag of low confidence, anxiety - and in this context it's highly consistent with deception.

This image was captured during the last moment of him uttering, "truth" - yet Governor Johnson's eyes open very widely along with him elevating the entire width of his forehead. This is the nonverbal equivalent of a person using five exclamation marks when, in moments of sincerity, only one is needed. It's a very common body language example of over-compensatory behavior. Unbeknownst to most politicians and high-level sales professionals this sends signals of INsincerity. It destroys rapport rather than building it.

During a significant fraction of this interview, Gary Johnson has his hands positioned on his lap with the majority of them below the level of the desk. This is a major nonverbal faux pas. At the very least it transmits lower confidence levels and relative timidity. Depending on the other nonverbals with which it is clustered, this can also be indicative of deception. Never commit this error during a job interview - or when you're running for president.

These are just a few of the body language fumbles Gary Johnson made during this television appearance. If the Governor wants to poll above 15 percent - thus allowing him to participate in the debates with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump - he simply can't afford to make these rookie mistakes.

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.


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3591: Jo Cox, The Brexit and Sincere Smiles - Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3587: The Orlando Mass Shooting, Omar Mateen and Warning Signs

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3412: Affluenza Teen Ethan Couch is on the Run

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3381: Ariana Grande, Flirtatious Body Language and the American Music Awards 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3355: Spin the Microphone on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show - Gwen Stefani is very attracted to Blake Shelton

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3583: Donald Trump, Reaching out to Bernie Sanders' Supporters and Insincerity Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3581: Hillary Clinton, Likability and Body Language

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2148: Joe Biden vs. Paul Ryan and the "Self-Righteous Head Wiggle" in the Vice Presidential Debate

During the 0:51 - 0:54 segment of this CNN video regarding last Thursdays U.S.Vice Presidential Debate, Rep. Paul Ryan exhibits a classic nonverbal known as a "Self-Righteous Head Wiggle" (SRHW)" as he says, " ....Mr. Vice President, I know, Mr. Vice President, I know you're under a lot of duress to make up for lost ground ... " The self-righteous head wiggle is a rapid side-to-side motion of the head very often seen simultaneously with a definitive verbal statement. Often the SRHW is accompanied by a similar back-and-forth motion of the torso and/or jaw. Here we also see a very slight forward motion to the head - this movement will often be more pronounced - and usually is when there is a more hierarchical scenario present (Biden of course currently out-ranks Ryan). When an additional backward motion (with head/neck and/or torso) is seen with the SRHW - it's a body language signal that another emotion co-exists - incredulity.

The self-righteous head wiggle tends to be seen with strong alpha personalities in settings where those displaying it feel the need to be assertive. Ryan's palm down illustrator further amplifies his assertive stance (0:48 - 0:54) - although his finger-open configuration "softens" this body language a good amount. The SRHW, like 99.9+% of all body language, is initiated and performed subconsciously. And rarely do emotions exist in isolation - with the SRHW look for the additional negative emotions overlaying the self-righteousness - such as anger, contempt, disgust and, as mentioned above, incredulity. Its display should be strongly avoided when rapport is a goal - for it will surely sabotage agreements and burn bridges.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2102: The Self-Righteous Head Wiggle and the Conventional Steeple vs. Basketball Steeple

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2113: Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran, the U.S. and the Self-Righteous Head Wiggle

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2130: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Helping Syria - Interview with Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1552: The Self-Righteous Head Wiggle & The Buffett Rule

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1923: Hillary Clinton's Body Language re: Syrian Government - The Self-Righteous Head Wiggle

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2147: Las Vegas Channel 13 TV, Expert Commentary - Biden vs. Ryan, Vice Presidential Debate

Had the pleasure of giving some Nonverbal Communication expert commentary regarding last Thursday's Vice Presidential Debate. Both V.P. Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan have a lot of room for improvement in their body language skill. Link here for Las Vegas Channel 13 (KTNV - ABC) interview. There's a lot more to say regarding the nonverbals of this debate.

See also:

Nonverbal Analysis # 2146: Biden vs. Ryan Vice Presidential Debates - Both Candidates Displayed Body Language of Contempt

Nonverbal Analysis # 2145: Paul Ryan & Joe Biden in Vice Presidential Debate - Post Debate Analysis on NPR - Southern California Public Radio, KPCC

Nonverbal Analysis # 2101: Mitt Romney's and Paul Ryan's Body Language at Republican National Convention - My Guest Commentary on NPR - KPCC, Southern California Public Radio

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