Tonight, during the debates, people should notice how Biden and Trump exhibit the Four First Impression factors: credibility, likeability, attractiveness, and power. Biden typically uses smiles and crinkles at the corner, smiling eyes to win on likability, and Trump uses anger cues such as a glare, a loud, forceful voice, and a scowl to win on power. Audiences look for strong nonverbal power cues in debates and typically decide who they think “won” the debate before the candidates even begin speaking based on the four first impression factors. I discuss this in my book, “SNAP! Making the Most of First Impressions Body Language and Charisma.”
