Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3148: Tidal's (Re)Launch - Jay Z, Kanye West, Deadmau5 & Madonna - Four Different Standing Configurations - Four Different Thought-Emotions - Body Language (PHOTOS)

The above image was captured last week at the re-launching of the TIDAL music streaming service. While this is but a moment in time, it does provide a very useful body language teaching moment.

Madonna is standing in a modified fig-leaf position. She is of course, a very alpha personality - yet in THIS particular moment, she's definitely feeling more beta and with a lower confidence level than she's been on many an occasion.

Deadmau5 is standing with his hands in his back pockets and his thumbs-forward. This is a good alpha-beta hybrid stance and shows a high-confidence, but not one that is too high or too assertive.

Kanye West is standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest and without his hands visible. This signals he's defensive, closed-minded and - when we correlate this with his facial expression - we can say that Kanye is also feeling threatened and impatient. He wants out of this spot-light. He feels very beta and acquiescent to Jay Z's alpha, intelligence and relatively superior social skills.

Jay Z has his hands behind his back. We cannot tell how they are clasped, yet we can say this is a very confident, alpha stance. It sends signals of leadership and strength - yet as with all alpha signals, if this is over-displayed (for longer durations) - it will transmit signals of hyper-alpha mindsets, arrogance, aloofness, and condescending emotional tones. It's not surprising that he's standing this way since he's the principle business actor of the new Tidal music-streaming service, but he should not remain this way for too long.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3147: Kentucky Loses to Wisconsin in Final Four - John Calipari's Body Language 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3143: Jay Z's "Tidal" Music Service - An Alpha Dominant Display - Body Language

Negotiation Body Language Secret No. 831:  Rick Santorum's Hands and the Alpha-Beta Hybrid

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 1867:  Ann Romney - Demure vs. Assertive Stance

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2605: President Obama and Health Insurance Cancellation Fix - and an Alpha-Beta Hybrid Body Language Illustrator

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3134: Ted Cruz to Announce his Candidacy for 2016 Presidential Race - Why He Will Never Win - Body Language

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2633: Abigail Hernandez, Missing N.H. 15 year old, Body Language Clues (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

This low resolution image is the last known one of Abigail Hernandez. It was taken on 9 October 2013 at Kennett High School in North Conway, New Hampshire - the day she disappeared. It is presumably from a school video monitor. 

Recently it was revealed that a letter from the 15 year old sent after her disappearance had been authenticated. It was postmarked on 23 October and received on 6 November.

Despite its poor clarity, some important body language clues can be gleaned this image. Abigail has the sleeve of her left arm pulled over her left hand. This is a significant signal of anxiety and strongly suggestive of an emotional-tone of protection (think of a turtle going in its shell).

Any temperature-related comfort is not a factor here - otherwise Abigail's right sweater cuff would not be at her elbow.

It would be immensely valuable to see the original video from which this photo was taken to see if the position of her left hand maintained a partial (unilateral) fig-leaf that is implied in this still photo (palm-in, covering the lower abdomen and privates). If that were the case, it would strongly suggest a beta, demure, low comfort and protective mindset - and perhaps also that of fear.

Who was she interacting at the moment immediately prior to this?

This photo strongly suggests that Abigail had significant anxiety, a protective mindset, and possibly fear - before she left school on 9 October 2013 (Implying she already knew her captor - or at least had at least one recent encounter with him/her). An explanation for this should be thoroughly explored.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2259:  Game Show Killer Rodney Alcala Gets Two More Sentences - His Body Language Warning Signs

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2323:  Jodi Arias Murder Trial  The Body Language of Unilateral Regret vs. Contempt

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2608: Ryan Ferguson's Release From Prison - and the Self Righteous Jaw Wiggle

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2492:  Jared Remy Arrested for Murder of His Girlfriend -  Three Jaw Signals in a Cluster,  Thee Body Language Meanings

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2503:  Fort Hood Shooter and his Tell-Tale Body Language  Common to many Mass-Killers -  Nidal Malik Hasan gets the Death Penalty 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2504:  Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez and a  Commonly Missed Body Language Signal

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2231:  A Common Facial Expression of Mass Killers - Using Body Language as a Threat Assessment Tool

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Negotiation and Leadership Secret # 415: When is it Appropriate for a President to Stand in the "Fig-leaf"?

Yesterday, Veterans Day in the U.S., President Obama attended a ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery. Here is is pictured at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The President is standing with his hands-clasped in this very familiar "Fig-Leaf" formation. While the fig-leaf usually is a signal of low confidence - in some contexts it certainly indicates other emotions. One is respect and another is reverence. These are two leadership-appropriate messages a President or Head of State should desire to convey using the fig-leaf. 

So when is it appropriate for a President to Stand in the "Fig-leaf"? Very few times. One example is a funeral or a ceremony to honor those who have died serving in the military - as pictured above. Another is at any religious service. If he were meeting with the Dalai Lama, the Pope or another high religious leader he/she may want to adopt this pose as well - even if there was no service or ongoing religious activity. If a past-president or head-of-state was standing next to the current equivalent leader at a ceremony or introduction, the former leader may want to use the fig-leaf here as well. Weddings are another venue for the fig-leaf.

With these few exceptions, and perhaps a few other respect-reverence scenarios which I have omitted, a head-of-state should never stand in the fig-leaf pose, lest he/she convey low confidence. A head-of-state should not adopt this pose around other World leaders if he/she is to command respect (unless of course at a funeral, etc. as detailed above). It will certainly place them at a leadership and negotiation disadvantage. Moreover, standing this way will even change your physiology and actively lower one's confidence. Nonverbal signals are indications of what the emotional brain is feeling in real-time, and maintaining the body language will engender and reinforce the emotion.

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