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Presidential Debates

As a body language expert for the last 25 years I was asked by Fox and Friends to analyze the republican candidates last night during the debates. I discussed their nonverbal cues live as a guest on Fox and Friends this morning at 7:15.

There was so much more to say, but specifically I wanted to say that viewers should be aware that “Charisma” factors and other nonverbal elements sometimes override our ability to really hear a candidate’s verbal message.

We tend to look for cues of Credibility, Likeability, Attractiveness and Level of Dominance (Power). I misspoke this morning and said Romney was high on Attractiveness and Credibility, rather than Attractiveness and Likeability. Most critics said that Romney won the debates last night. Well he was the tallest candidate, giving him nonverbal power. (The taller of the last two candidates in the presidential race typically wins.) And he was by far the most attractive candidate. Even his deep resonant voice is pleasing. And he smiles a lot and last night successfully used his smile to not look irritated when Chris Mathews gave him a hard time. Yet he has a habitual nonverbal cue that makes him look like a liar or a least a waffeler on the issues. When I taught interviews and interrogation techniques to law enforcement officers one the key signs that someone is lying is making an affirmative statement while shaking your head no. Again this is a reliable cue of deceit. When the verbal and the nonverbal message disagree we read the nonverbal cue as the honest cue as it is under less conscious control and not as easily manipulated.


Romney does it all the time. I have watched hours and hours of his speeches before last night and couldn’t believe it. Last night Romney said, “The American People are the greatest people in the world.” while he shook his head no. Then followed he followed this statement with something like, “The hearts of the American people are the greatest…”, while shaking his head no. And then said, “American is the greatest nation on earth.” while shaking his head no. Typically, someone who does this habitually lies or often waffles on his statements. It will be interesting to see this and other candidate’s nonverbal cues as they continue to speak.

Presidential Debates

As a body language expert for the last 25 years I was asked by Fox and Friends to analyze the republican candidates last night during the debates. I discussed their nonverbal cues live as a guest on Fox and Friends this morning at 7:15.

There was so much more to say, but specifically I wanted to say that viewers should be aware that “Charisma” factors and other nonverbal elements sometimes override our ability to really hear a candidate’s verbal message.

We tend to look for cues of Credibility, Likeability, Attractiveness and Level of Dominance (Power). I misspoke this morning and said Romney was high on Attractiveness and Credibility, rather than Attractiveness and Likeability. Most critics said that Romney won the debates last night. Well he was the tallest candidate, giving him nonverbal power. (The taller of the last two candidates in the presidential race typically wins.) And he was by far the most attractive candidate. Even his deep resonant voice is pleasing. And he smiles a lot and last night successfully used his smile to not look irritated when Chris Mathews gave him a hard time. Yet he has a habitual nonverbal cue that makes him look like a liar or a least a waffeler on the issues. When I taught interviews and interrogation techniques to law enforcement officers one the key signs that someone is lying is making an affirmative statement while shaking your head no. Again this is a reliable cue of deceit. When the verbal and the nonverbal message disagree we read the nonverbal cue as the honest cue as it is under less conscious control and not as easily manipulated.

Romney does it all the time. I have watched hours and hours of his speeches before last night and couldn’t believe it. Last night Romney said, “The American People are the greatest people in the world.” while he shook his head no. Then followed he followed this statement with something like, “The hearts of the American people are the greatest…”, while shaking his head no. And then said, “American is the greatest nation on earth.” while shaking his head no. Typically, someone who does this habitually lies or often waffles on his statements. It will be interesting to see this and other candidate’s nonverbal cues as they continue to speak.

Patti's favorites, Best Books, Best Movies of Past Years

Well another year. I hope your life is wonderful, full of joy, laughter and chocolate. Remember in the rush of the holiday season to repeat my favorite phrase, "I am on a journey through eternity and I have plenty of time". It works particularly well in long lines and traffic jams.

I was on FOX TV national news tonight reading photos of President Bush and others involved in the weapon's search in Iraq. You can request the video transcript at yourquestions@FoxNews.com. If you are interested in reading photos, you may want to pick up the December issue of FIRST for Women on the news stands. On page 91, I share some things to look for when reading family photos. I am also in the December Cosmo. My agent has sent my body language book to 15 different publishers. Cross your fingers.

Favorite Movies

Considering how many movie star photos I have read this year, it seems odd that I have seen so few movies. I am still thinking about my favorite movie last year, "Lord of the Rings". It was extraordinary. We are going to watch it again this Christmas, as my mother said she hid her eyes through so much of the movie. It will be like seeing it for the first time. Of course the new Harry Potter Movie is wonderful, much more exciting than the first. I wish there had been a really good romantic comedy this year. I loved the movie, "About a Boy"with Hugh Grant. The book "About a Boy" was one of my favorite this year. I loved how there were chapters from the boys perspective and then the man's, and how the man grew up and the boy got to finally be a little boy.

Books

Everyone raved about the book " Lovely Bones". I thought it was incredibly sad. I got on a PJ Woodhouse kick this year and bought the PBS services on video. The short stories are also wonderful on tape to play in the car. I enjoyed the book "The Eyre Affair". It is a detective science fantasy novel. Hard to describe as it is bizarre but fun to read. My overall favorite is "Portrait in Sepia", the continuation of the lives of the characters in "Daughter of Fortune". I actually read "The Bourne Identity" and loved it. I am waiting to read my favorite living author, Pat Conroy's novel over Christmas. I already read Mauve Binche's new novel. She is warm and wonderful as always. For those of you who like literature, I am reading all of Wilke Collins sensational fiction. "The Moonstone" has always been one of my favorite books, but he wrote so many other novels that are a delight.

TV

A new category for the newsletter. I had to say how addicted I have become to Changing Rooms the BBC original show on which the HGTV show Trading Spaces is based. I love how much fun they have on the show and I love to see the rooms transformed. Of course Ground Force is my favorite show on Sunday mornings. It is delightful to see other people work in the garden while you sit on the sofa in your jammies and drink tea. My other favorite is the IFC show Dinner for Five, where five movie starts sit around and say nothing of any consequence, and are always very blunt. It is great for reading body language. I have not kept up with Judging Amy and The West Wing, my favorite shows from last year. It seems I am always working on the computer at night.

Happy Holidays to You and Yours!

Patti Wood, MA, CSP
Body Language Expert
Speeches, Workshops and Personal Coaching
Programs: Body Language, Team Building, Public Speaking, Customer Service


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.