Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2141: Barack Obama's Body Language Index Finger and Thumb an Inch or two apart - Incredulous Eyebrow & Forehead

In this video of a recent fundraiser-campaign speech in San Francisco, during the 1:02 - 1:05 segment, Barack Obama says, "...as long as I'm Commander-in-Chief we will sustain the strongest military the World has ever known..." Simultaneous with this declaration, Obama's right eyebrow and right forehead contract and elevate - while the left-sided counterparts remain relaxed. This unilateral facial nonverbal is consistent with disbelief and/or incredulity. The statement which came just prior to this statement is not shown/heard here (e.g. it is somewhat out of context) - and the President could very well have been referencing someone or group who called into question the sincerity of his military commitments (anyone who has access to the transcript of this speech, or a larger video segment - please email the link).

Temporally overlapping slightly (1:05 - 1:07) with the above body language/facial display (and thus contributing to the body language "cluster") is another interesting nonverbal - where the President held his right thumb and forefinger (aka index finger) about 3 inches/ 7.5 cm apart. This gesture may indicate the obvious - such as "a little bit", "a small amount", etc. - however it can also signal skepticism or reluctance.

This is yet another excellent example of how, nonverbally, the hands and the face often mirror each other.

See also:

Nonverbal Analysis # 1197: Forefinger and Thumb Held Close Together - Rick Santorum

Nonverbal Analysis # 1559: Timothy Geithner on Face the Nation

Nonverbal Analysis # 1696: George Zimmerman's Testimony - Fear, Incredulity, Regret & Contempt

Nonverbal Analysis # 1600: Senator Marco Rubio - Sincerity, Self-directed Incredulity & Humor, Blocking and Appeals for the Vice Presidency

Nonverbal Analysis # 67: Incredulous Cluster

Nonverbal Analysis # 1910: Natasha Smith Sexually Assaulted in Tahrir Square - Post Assault Interview

Nonverbal Analysis # 2124: This Body Language-Facial Display Should always make you think "Insincere"

Nonverbal Analysis # 1531: Hillary Clinton Describing the Osama Bin Laden Navy SEAL Raid at the U.S. Naval Academy, 10 April 2012

Nonverbal Analysis # 2129: Barack Obama's Body Language, Misspeaks "Export More Jobs" Displays Incredulity and .....
 

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1559: Timothy Geithner on Face the Nation

Timothy Geithner appeared on Face the Nation yesterday. He exemplified "Nonverbal Homonyms" using (subconsciously) the same hand gesture on different occasions with two different meanings. When the thumb and forefinger (index finger) are held in close proximity (but not touching), it can be a body language indication for "a little bit" or "very close". Geithner exampled this twice in this video, first during the 2:23 - 2:26 time marks, when he spoke about a small percentage of people paying more taxes and again displaying the same nonverbal with similar words during 2:51 - 2:55.

The Treasury Secretary also used this same hand gesture at the 3:58 - 4:02 mark, only this time it had a different meaning. This same hand configuration may also indicate hesitancy, ambivalence or uncertainty (Pease) - and that's the context in which he was using it here. During this occasion - the third time he used the gesture - Geithner was discussing the Obama administration's disagreement with tax cuts for the wealthy when he said, "....but you know, extending unaffordable tax cuts for the most fortunate Americans ...." - and so his verbal message was also clearly expressing a similar sentiment - one of reluctance. We can therefore conclude that Geithner's nonverbal signal was highly congruent with his spoken word - and thus based on this consistency, we should assign him a high "sincerity quotient" - at least on the basis of this video (of course, this has nothing to do whether we agree with his politics or not). If we were selecting a jury, based on this honesty display - he would pass. Voir dire away.

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Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1197: Fingers Held Close Together

This is Rick Santorum at the recent CPAC Conference in Washington D.C. When the index finger and the thumb are held a short distance apart, this may indicate the obvious - "a little bit" or "a small amount", etc. - but this body language can also denote reluctance or skepticism.

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