In the above image, Hollande and Obama are shown in a Handshake-Hug Hybrid. Note that although the two men are touching (and thus within each other's personal space - and more specifically, their intimate space) - and of course their heads are also quite close together - in contrast, their eyes are directed away from the other man.
The vast majority of the time - when we enter another person's personal
space, our gaze naturally and rapidly averts. One exception to this strong tendency
is with close family members or with others for whom we have considerable
affection. Can you name any other nonverbal scenarios where this rule doesn't
apply?
President Hollande is seen adjusting his right sock. This is a very common signal of male anxiety - and more specifically it signals an attempt at up-regulating of alpha qualities. And while most every man's socks occasionally do droop a bit - feeling the need to re-adjust them comes at times when their confidence level ebbs. There is little doubt that François certainly has an alpha personality - yet even top-dogs occasionally feel emotionally uncomfortable.
There are many alpha up-regulators - this is but one. The ability to spot these nonverbal alpha-beta fluxes in business, leadership positions or personal scenarios will give you a dramatic view into others psyche's.
What other body language is President Hollande displaying which gives significant insight into what he is feeling?
French President François Hollande is visiting the United States. President Obama, who normally has very good body language, committed a major faux pas as the two leaders walked outside Monticello today. Keeping his hands clasped behind his back nearly the entire time he walked outside of Jefferson's Home, the President said, "... Sorry we're breaking protocol here. That's alright. That's the good thing about being President, I can, I can do whatever I want." (0:01 - 0:08)
POTUS used the hyper-alpha display of long-duration hands clasped behind-the-back nonverbal - despite the fact he's the most powerful man on the planet. When you're at the top of any pecking order, one should want to build rapport, not destroy it. Barack does not need to remind anyone he's President. As with all high-alpha body language, if over-used it will backfire and send patronizing and arrogant signals. This nonverbal configuration is powerful and thus it should be used very sparingly - essentially choreographed for particular and brief moments. Moreover, walking in this manner, particularly with another head-of-state, has the effect of amplifying its condescending message.
It has been recently reported that French President François Hollande is having an affair with actress Julie Gayet. Hollande's longtime partner Valerie Trierweiler has been hospitalized - which some have attributed to stress associated with this news.
In this image, Trierweiler is kissing Hollande - yet he is not reciprocating.
How many signals of affection disparity do you see here?
The most obvious one is the lack of lip pucker consistent with a kiss of mutual affection. Perhaps François Hollande's lips are just caught off guard? Hmmm.
What about the lack of Hollande's head or neck tilt? Valerie Trierweiler's head is tilted and rotated toward her partner. However the French President's head is straight up and only slightly turned. Tilting of head and necks in the midst of a kiss are affection amplifiers. Moreover Valerie's entire body is leaning into the kiss. In distinction François is not leaning toward his partner.
Another very important nonverbal sign of lack of affection are Hollande's open eyes. A kiss that is being anywhere near fully experienced requires eyelid closure.
French President François Hollande is not engaged in this kiss. His body language is not affectionate nor is it sincere. His mind is elsewhere. And so is his heart.
Here, Julie Gayet is pictured with Hollande in late 2011. What body language signs do you see here?
Most people are unaware of the degree to which they become "nonverbally naked" when they're talking on the phone. Facial expressions become more pronounced and body language becomes more exaggerated. This phenomenon occurs with otherwise socially adept and experienced professionals (e.g., physicians, attorneys, senators, heads of state, etc.). Thus during such moments it is possible to observe these amped-up, often melodramatic signals in the context specific speech and glean valuable emotional tells. Intriguingly, the moment the individual gets off the phone, their psyche and body language returns to a different, non-telephonic baseline. If care is taken to observe their nonverbal details, patterns and idiosyncrasies during the phone conversations - the subtleties and nuances when they're off the phone becomes much easier to see. It's like seeing the (real) man (or the woman) behind the curtain. The camouflage is lifted.
David Cameron is a very good speaker with a similar level of nonverbal
skills. He does at times though tend to use the "Vertical Hand Chop"
excessively (and its variations). This is in part due to his tendency to speak in a rapid, staccato style - as if he were a barrister on the attack in court (but certainly not in all court matters) - or during particularly vigorous defense of an idea before Parliament. In such scenarios this may at times be very beneficial. In other contexts however, his speeches are more effective and he builds more rapport when he slows down and use a bit less alpha (sometimes hyper-alpha), and over-repetition of this hand chop.
The vertical hand chop is an alpha body language illustrator. There are versions of it which "amp up" the alpha qualities - as well as other modifications which give it more beta characteristics.
Here Mr. Cameron is chopping rapidly. Using this gesture with a higher speed increases its alpha and conversely, slowing it down increases the beta. Any leader should always contextualize the nonverbal with the verbal and the relative importance of the subtopic within the speech as a whole. Speeches have many of the characteristics of a good song. They have a crescendo & decrescendo qualities, verses, speed changes, etc. and all nonverbals should match the desired effect.
In this photo Mr. Cameron uses the hand chop with open - fingers. This configuration makes it less alpha and more beta.
Here we see Mr. Cameron using the vertical hand chop with his fingers tightly closed.
Increased tension in the hands is highly correlative with increased facial tension. Compare the U.K. leader's face and hand (high tension) in this image to that immediately above - where both are much less tense. This increased tension is consistent with more anger and increased relative priority with what is being discussed verbally (which of course is not always evident when only listening to the words). Such patterns are not only seen in political speeches - but are seen repeatedly evident in sales, court, mediation or negotiations.
Notable is how Cameron turns his palm partially up, with his fingers open in this gesture towards Hollande (and thus France). When displayed correctly, palms-up gestures are much more engendering of openness and collegiality - while still conveying authority and intelligence.
This is very much the opposite of the image immediately above, with Mr. Cameron using his palm turned partially down. His fingers are still open however.
Note again the contrast of the tension on the P.M.'s face here compared to when his palm is more up-turned.
Here Mr. Cameron is speaking about how strong Anglo-French cooperation on sharing tax information regarding corporations operating within Europe "...has helped to unlock a European agreement that I think will make a real difference for the future...."
Here his palm-partially oriented down and his twisting of his hand & wrist act as a visual nonverbal metaphor for the "unlocking" of which he speaks (a body language analog of an onomatopoeia). This configuration again also conveys the relative importance he feels about this subject and his/U.K.s role in it.
Valerie Trierweiler, a French political journalist, is shown in this image next to her partner and French Presidential candidate, Francois Hollande. She is displaying a classic critical evaluation cluster. Her thumb is supporting her chin, her ring and fifth finger are adjacent to her mouth, and while her index finger is not visible (behind her ear piece, perhaps retracted) her middle finger is well on display in a partial emblematic slip - subconsciously directed to whom she is listening.
An emblem is a body language signal, the meaning of which is well understood within a specific region or country. However, very often an emblem in one country has a completely different meaning in another country - so one must be very careful in their interpretation and usage. Some emblems are universal though - and such is the case with the middle finger display. When a partial emblem is used - nearly always in a subconscious manner, it is used in an unconventional location - here on the side of the face rather than in its more obvious (and fully conscious) conventional location.
Note also that Ms. Trierweiler's left eyebrow and forehead are elevated (her right side is relaxed) - indicating her disbelief in what she is seeing and/or hearing.
Other common signs often seen as components of this cluster (but not seen in this particular example) include: the fourth and/or fifth fingers covering her mouth (an even stronger disagreement with what is said and/or suspecting deception), if the opposite arm were crossing her stomach or chest (defensiveness & closed mindedness) and/or if she were leaning back in her chair (withdraw).
If you're a male, an advantage in height will make you more electable - but don't tell that to Nicholas Sarkozy. Being taller also engenders ease of getting hired, more promotions, higher salary, number of romantic encounters and even life span. Depending on your source, the French President is either 5'5" (1.651 M) or 5'6.25" (1.683 M) while President Obama is 6'1" (1.854 M). Don't feel sorry for Nicholas though, he's married to a supermodel, he's a head-of-state and has a net worth of 2 million Euro.
