Trump, Hilary Clinton and Anger, What are the Gender Differences.

Gender Differences in Anger 

Unfortunately, we perceive women’s anger differently than we do a man’s. Research shows that if a man is perceived as emotional he is considered more credible for getting angry. But when the woman was perceived as emotional, participants became surer of their own opinion, even if they considered the woman credible. As the researchers in one study put it: “When a woman expresses anger, this does not just make her seem less credible, but seems to make assessing her credibility irrelevant.”(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/people-reward-angry-men-but-punish-angry-women-study-suggests_us_561fb57be4b050c6c4a47743)

Patti Wood, MA,  - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

What Do I Think of Hilary Clinton's Body Language

Do you think Hillary Clinton has a personality that attracts voters?

Hilary has a different personality style than many candidates. Hillary has always been highly competitive and laser-focused on her goals.

She has a commanding D Driver-style personality paired with the strategic, methodical approach of a C Corrector style personality. This combination of traits makes her very ambitious and very knowledgeable about the inner workings and details of the system. She is not warm and fuzzy. If someone who had suffered a great loss was talking to her, she wouldn’t say, “I am so sorry for your loss you must feel so bad.” She would be direct and solution oriented and ask the person for the details of what happened and offer a specific solution. She is a thinker not a feeler.  It would be great if she could be a bit more sensitive to people’s emotions, but she is a DC personality and they can sometimes be seen as overly task-oriented.

What are the elements that could show Hillary as a more humane candidate and closer to the people?  If I was her nonverbal communication coach. (and yes I am a personal coach as well as a professional speaker on body language.) I would create video and photos of her hugging people and being warm and genuine and playing with children, and people who have undergone hardship and even video of her being warm and relaxed around her close friends and family.

Does Hillary have charisma?

Let’s break down what Charisma is and talk about her specific nonverbal behaviors. Charisma is comprised of likability, Attractiveness and Power.

Likability is created non verbally through smiles and eye contact, animated and expressive facial expressions, gestures and rapport building skills such a matching and mirroring and staying connected and leaning forward when someone is talking. In the past, Hilary did not have a relaxed warm smile. Her smile was often often small and looks tense. (That’s a common characteristic of a high C on the DISC) She is super smart and results oriented so if she is listening to you and she gets your point, she is on to solution and she stops listening!!!! I have seen her do this in countless TV interviews. She has worked on her smile a great deal but, was blasted for smiling too much or having a odd smile in the first presidential debates, but over all the change in her smile made her look unruffled and warmer. Yet the media criticizers her if she doesn't smile enough an when they feel she smiles too much or in oddly. Her husband Bill Clinton who is high on Charisma and and does smile as much as he wants and we love it. He is high in Charisma and his smile is large warm and sincere.  He has  charismatic laser focused eye contact that makes a listener feel like he is the center of Bills universe and the most special person in the world. Talk to anyone who has met him and they will talk about his eye contact and how he lingers to listen to the them and connect evening extending length of handshake to linger and connect.

Attractiveness is the second charismatic factor and this is so hard to say, but Hilary looks professional but she does not fit the typical attractiveness standard. She looked great in the first presidential debate That irritates me as a woman, and really as a human being, But it is important in a presidential candidate.  Years ago, when Sarah Palin was selected as a Vice Presidential candidate I was doing media interviews about Sarah's body language and my hosts always mentioned her attractive appearance..

Power is the last component of Charisma. This is a tricky characteristic for a women. Hilary is very powerful. She has many power cues. But, there is a difficulty again with a women looking too powerful. Hilary walks the B line. The line between warm and feminine and being a B---h. She also has a strident voice. But she has worked on it considerably.  The biggest issue is that her nonverbal cues are not as powerful as Trumps and they cannot be!!! We would despise a female candidate who screamed and yelled, interrupted and stabbed the air and grimaced the way Trump does. The bigger problem is that the public tends to vote for the most ALPHA powerful candidate for president. Regardless of their party.

So, to answer your question, though in person she is highly charismatic, in interviews and televised speeches she does not have the likability specifically the warmth that voters like. It may not matter and it may make all the difference. 

Do  you believe that that charisma is necessary to win an election in the United States? 

Historically, yes. The public tends to vote for the most charismatic candidate. 

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Inauguration Body Language Reads Continued...

I watched the Inauguration today for a body language read on Obama's presidential inauguration ceremony today.

Coming out of the white house to go the inauguration the "still president" Bush stepped behind Obama going down the stairs and then put his arm around and guided Obama down the stairs. This was particular interesting as I did a body language read of their first meeting after Obama was elected, for the New York Daily news, and in those photo stills Obama had his arm around Bush guiding him. This was Bush's last chance to look like the leader! Interesting, especially when you learn that Bush said something to the effect of, "Your on your own, go to your people for guidance" When Obama told Bush he was going to go to him for advice during his new presidency. Oddly this is what Bush senior said to Bush junior when Bush junior became president.

When Bush senior came down the steps he looked unusually ebullient. It was clear from his large smile and eye contact with the crowd of photographers that he was happy to be back in the limelight. You might have missed it but there was an odd moment that showed just how oddly happy Bush senior was as he came down the stairs he reached over and patted the rear end of one of the guards!

Former president Bill Clinton had his own "emotional moment" as he was entering the inauguration. When he was in the darkened hallway just before coming down the stairs his eyes wrinkled down and his mouth twisted back and down intensely as he held him his sadness. Then as he came out into the light and the crowd he lit up with his 'game face" with his great big charming smile and raised eyebrows. Hilary Clinton was calm her facial expression showed true power and pleasure. An interesting combination. I really admired that strength.

Soon to be president Obama's daughters came down the hallway and down the stairs walking several steps ahead of their grandmother, neither looking at her for comfort, support, or even acknowledging her. There posture was erect and lady like and very at ease. They seemed confident until it came to their seats. Then the youngest daughter sat down and had trouble with the blue blanket that was provided and then realized she should be standing. They kept looking at the immense crowds on the Mall. They where the only people filmed that seemed to acknowledge the incredible crowds.

When Obama came down the hallway you saw his face change from smile to a rather affected serious face. In fact I saw him put on the serious face and force it their. Odd that he chose to be serious instead of joyous throughout the inauguration.

Hilary Clinton Body Language

Representivtive Hilary Clinton steeples when she talks. This gesture is unusual for women to do. She takes her hands and clasps the fingers together so they are more open on the bottom and create a point or steeple on the top. Specifically she does what is called a low steeple or cannon, where she holds this point at her waist level or slightly above her waist level with the point out toward the audience. In everyday interaction a person using the low steeple has a strong differing opinion and wants to shoot “cannon” at you. For Hilary I believe she is taking the offensive when making controversial points.

She is showing signs of voice strain. If you know it is not from mike problems or for speaking too much, voice strain occurs when someone speaks to long or two loads in a low register to show authority in their voice and also when someone is aggressive pushing their points at their audience.

There were little personal ticks in the video I watched of her on you/tube were Hilary Clinton announces run for President. Particularly interesting was something she did in what you would assume was a well planned, and you would assume well rehearsed and coached speech. As she says makes the statement, “...and let’s definitely talk about how every American can have quality affordable health care. “ The statement is an affirmative positive statement,”American can have, but her head shakes back and forth in a no as she says “… every American can have..” rather than up and down. This is a subconscious "leakage" cue that signals she doesn’t believe that statement is true. In this same video she also presses her lips together to suppress or pull back from an angry grimace after she says, “George Bush.” This seemed like a planned little act rather than a natural catching of an inappropriately negative reference to the president. Her paralanguage and facial expressions shift from forced and false warmth to what seems more natural derision and sarcasm as she talks about Bush or the current administration.

One of the things that Hilary battles against as a female candidate is that men are uncomfortable around unsmiling women. Which explains why women typically smile more than men – Women maintain community by smiling and men maintain dominance when not smiling and when Hilary does not smile she is showing what many might read as inappropriate dominance.

Hilary Clinton Body Language

Representivtive Hilary Clinton steeples when she talks. This gesture is unusual for women to do. She takes her hands and clasps the fingers together so they are more open on the bottom and create a point or steeple on the top. Specifically she does what is called a low steeple or cannon, where she holds this point at her waist level or slightly above her waist level with the point out toward the audience. In everyday interaction a person using the low steeple has a strong differing opinion and wants to shoot “cannon” at you. For Hilary I believe she is taking the offensive when making controversial points.

She is showing signs of voice strain. If you know it is not from mike problems or for speaking too much, voice strain occurs when someone speaks to long or two loads in a low register to show authority in their voice and also when someone is aggressive pushing their points at their audience.

There were little personal ticks in the video I watched of her on you/tube were Hilary Clinton announces run for President. Particularly interesting was something she did in what you would assume was a well planned, and you would assume well rehearsed and coached speech. As she says makes the statement, “...and let’s definitely talk about how every American can have quality affordable health care. “ The statement is an affirmative positive statement,”American can have, but her head shakes back and forth in a no as she says “… every American can have..” rather than up and down. This is a subconscious "leakage" cue that signals she doesn’t believe that statement is true. In this same video she also presses her lips together to suppress or pull back from an angry grimace after she says, “George Bush.” This seemed like a planned little act rather than a natural catching of an inappropriately negative reference to the president. Her paralanguage and facial expressions shift from forced and false warmth to what seems more natural derision and sarcasm as she talks about Bush or the current administration.

One of the things that Hilary battles against as a female candidate is that men are uncomfortable around unsmiling women. Which explains why women typically smile more than men – Women maintain community by smiling and men maintain dominance when not smiling and when Hilary does not smile she is showing what many might read as inappropriate dominance.

Presidential Candidates...

While Hillary Clinton shook her head side to side no while making a positive statement once in speech, Mitt Romney does it often in interviews. He does it repeatedly in an interview with Hannity on Fox news. For example when saying, “ I don’t think people care a lot about which church you belong to he shook his head side to side indicating a no as he said, “I don’t think people care a lot…” When someone makes a positive definitive statement and shakes their head no it appears that they are lying. (This head shaking cue is one I taught in my interviews and interrogation techniques courses to law enforcement) So it looks like he actually believes they DO care a lot! He even does it on a video on his own website as he discusses what he believes. Like a twisted mouth shows your talking out of the side of your mouth this may be a habitual cue showing he is not sure what he believes.

He also like McCain in several of his interviews uses a “masking”, a tense fake smile to cover his displeasure at how the interview is going.

While many candidates, Giuliani, Clinton and Edwards use aggressive and powerful chopping motions as they speak Romney’s hands more often stay cupped and sweep out which makes him appear less definitive and aggressive and on the issues. He even does this in a video of his speech on topic he feels strongly about the Islamic Jihad.