Patti Wood Body Language Expert Blog

Trump Wins Handshake With Putin, I was misquoted Entirely.

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwQIEbrEk9Y

Here is the article. I actually said something quite different! I said, he lost power by putting out his hand first. I said they started with an equal handshake with palm to palm both thumbs up position. That Trump used his left arm to touch under Putin's arm in a show of support and it was only when Trump tapped Putin's arms three times that Putin responded by giving him a symbolic shooting motion. Wild how different the story turned out.
Here is the link to the story in the Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4675644/Trump-wins-handshake-Putin.html
Here is the cut and pasted version of the story.
President Donald Trump came out on top in his first handshake with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their much anticipated meeting on Friday ahead of the G20 summit.

The pair exchanged pleasantries and what appeared to be a friendly handshake that was captured on video shot during the leaders' 'retreat' in Hamburg.

But to the expert's eye there was a power struggle going on between them, body language expert Patti Wood told DailyMail.com.

The American president makes the first move to assert his power forcing the Russian president to 'shoot back' with his finger.

In the video, which was first posted to Facebook, Trump initiated full palm-to-palm contact with both thumbs up to 'communicate equity' and show that 'they are equal in power and status', according to Wood.

Putin stands straight up without stepping forward as he allows Trump to come to him. Wood said Putin maintains power that way.

Both leaders smile and the 'smiles linger showing friendliness', Wood said. But the most interesting part about the handshake was Trump's use of his left hand.

'It can mean a lot of different things,' Wood said, adding that it could even mean: 'I’m in control of you.'

Trump’s left hand is seen underneath Putin's arm, which shows he is being 'supportive' while maintaining 'a bit of control'.

President Donald Trump maintained his control during his first handshake with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their much anticipated meeting on Friday ahead of the G20 summit. Body language expert Patti Wood said Trump initiated full palm-to-palm contact with both thumbs up to 'communicate equity' and show that 'they are equal in power and status'

Both leaders smile and the 'smiles linger showing friendliness', Wood said. According to Wood, the most interesting part about the handshake was Trump's use of his left hand. 'It can mean a lot of different things,' Wood said, adding that it could even mean: 'I’m in control of you'

Trump’s left hand is seen underneath Putin's arm, which shows he is being 'more supportive' while maintaining 'a bit of control' as he gently pats Putin's arm

In what appears to be a response to Trump using his left hand, Putin ‘playfully’ and ‘symbolically’ shoots Trump with his finger as if he knows what the US president is doing

On Friday, as the leaders kicked off their meeting, Trump said 'It's an honor to be with you', while Putin told the US leader: 'I'm delighted to meet you.'

During their sit-down meeting, Trump greeted Putin in a very 'unusual' way, much different from his other meetings with world leaders in which it seemed more as a 'formality', Wood told DailyMail.com, adding that Trump appeared happy to meet Putin.

During the sit down handshake, Trump took his upper body and leaned into Putin to shake hands. Wood says this is unusual as Trump typically ‘stays pretty close to an upright position’, allowing others to lean into him.

Trump also offered his palm upward, which is also not something the president does on the regular, according to Wood, who said Trump usually lets the other individual initiate a handshake.

‘His hands are centered more towards Putin. Trump usually holds his hands toward himself to show that he has the power and it’s all about him,’ Wood added.

But that wasn’t the case on Friday.

Trump’s body language with Putin showed just the opposite: It’s not all about Trump. According to Wood, the entire handshake was about the power differential.

The upward palm shake showed that Trump is 'willing to be supportive', when oftentimes Trump 'likes to be in charge' as the alpha male.

Putin on the other hand 'doesn't move very much' aside from when he slightly leaned forward as they were sitting down.

Trump greeted Putin in a very 'unusual' way during their sit down handshake, Wood said. Trump offered his palm upward (pictured), which is not something the US president does, according to Wood, who added that Trump lets the other individual initiate a handshake

The upward palm shake (pictured) showed that Trump is 'willing to be supportive', when oftentimes Trump 'likes to be in charge' as the alpha male. Putin on the other hand 'takes his left arm and rests it on the chair with his elbow out,' Wood said. Putin's 'left arm is a shield over his heart', which shows that he is still guarded rather than fully open with Trump, Wood added

During their seated meeting, Trump continues with his manspread in his usual alpha male position with his hands in a steeple pointed downward. This position is distinctive to Trump as a guard position that also shows his power

'He takes his left arm and rests it on the chair with his elbow out,' Wood said, adding that it shows his 'left arm is a shield over his heart'.

Wood, who is the author of SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions Body Languages and Charisma, said this means, despite the pleasantries, the Russian president is still 'guarded rather than fully open' with Trump.

Putin's stillness also shows that he 'wants to maintain the power' as Trump takes a more 'passive position'.

Overall, Putin seemed 'at ease aside from the guarded elbow' Wood said.

Putin also did the manspread, showing Trump that he's an alpha as well, but Putin rested his arms on the chair arms, which made him look slightly larger tha Trump, Wood said.

According to Wood, this showed 'a little more power'.

But most of all Wood noted the slight smile on Trump's face and his eye contact with Putin.

'That showed more than anything that he was happy and in the moment,' Wood said. 'A lot of times when he shakes hands it’s a formality.

“And he doesn’t always make full eye contact and when he does, he doesn’t usually smile.”

But according to Wood, Putin's manspread showed Trump that he's an alpha as well. Putin rested his arms on the chair, which made him look slightly larger than Trump, Wood said and this showed 'a little more power'

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.

Body language experts see reserve, deference, power plays in Trump-Putin meeting

Link to article: https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2017/07/07/body-language-experts-see-reserve-deference-power-plays-trump-putin-meeting/F4gQENMoghwUDICyidyWfL/story.html

For body-language experts, Friday was sort of like Christmas.

After months of buildup, after investigations into Russian election meddling, after considerable analysis, two of the world’s most powerful men — President Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia — finally met face to face at the G-20 summit.

Almost immediately, those who study such things say, the two began a nonverbal power negotiation.

Opinions on the interaction varied among body-language experts, but on one thing they agreed: For Trump, a man who has been routinely lampooned for the aggressive manner in which he shakes hands, Friday’s performance was quite out of the ordinary.

“Completely different,” says Tonya Reiman, author of the book “The Power of Body Language.” “Every single handshake I’ve watched — and I’ve watched them all — he’s the one who wants to be the dominant force; [he] literally makes you lose your footing.”

On Friday, America’s 45th president didn’t appear particularly aggressive at all. He seemed to keep a greater-than-normal distance when he shook hands with Putin. The violent pulling of his handshake-partner’s hand for which he’s become known was nowhere to be found. At one point during the handshake, he reached out and held the Russian president’s right arm.

In other words, it was all highly un-Trumpian.

“Most of the time, he’s got this warm welcome, he smiles, he comes right up to [people], he’s in their space,” says Lillian Glass, a Los Angeles-based communication and body-language expert. This time, she says, “You see Trump is very guarded. He doesn’t put all smiles out, and he doesn’t lean in to Putin — he leans away.”

To Glass, the reason is simple. “From what was swirling around, he doesn’t want to give Americans the wrong impression, and he doesn’t want to give the world the wrong impression,” she said. “He doesn’t want to appear chummy.”

According to Patti Wood, author of “Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma,” Trump appeared to show deference during the initial shake.

“I want you to notice Putin is standing up straight [in] his body position, and Trump is the one that walks toward him,” Wood said. “Trump is the one who initiates the handshake, and Trump is leaning his whole body — not quite in bow, but leaning forward as a bid to bow.”

For those who analyze such things, meanwhile, a few other key moments offered insights into the curious dynamic between the two men.

There was the initial height difference, for one thing — immediately apparent and probably surprising to some who envision both men as larger-than-life figures.

“There’s such a height disparity,” Glass said. “We think of Putin, because we never see him next to anybody, as being 7 feet tall. Big and tall and powerful. And then we see him next to Trump, and he’s a little guy.”

Then there was the point at which Trump reached over with his left hand to lightly pat Putin’s right arm during the handshake.

“The patting, notice it’s underneath and supportive, and symbolically says ‘I support you,’ ” Wood said, though she later allowed that the “left hand being used in a handshake is typically [meant to signal] power and control over the other person.”

Finally, there was Putin’s last-minute gesture, when he used his free hand to point an extended finger at Trump.

“The timing is interesting — that is, when Putin goes forward, and he points at the same time,” Wood says. “That is Putin’s bid to power because his hand is a symbolic weapon, so he’s doing a little shoot, a little bang.”

“It’s an authoritative move,” Reiman agreed. “You point at someone to demonstrate your authority, the power.”

The nonverbal jousting figures to continue, in some form, through the end of the conference Saturday. On Friday afternoon, a closed-door meeting between the two leaders stretched to more than two hours — four times its originally scheduled length.

Given the nature of the two men involved, and the contentious issues on their agendas, it’s no great leap to assume that both will be attempting to assert their dominance — in ways both verbal and nonverbal — throughout their time together.

But so far, Reiman says, Trump’s nonverbal efforts have failed to establish him as the alpha of the pair.

“We might notice that he’ll try over the next couple hours,” she said Friday afternoon. “But at this point, he’s not been able to win that battle.”

Dugan Arnett can be reached at dugan.arnett@globe.com.

President Trump Met Vladimir Putin For the First Time. Here's What a Body Language Expert Saw

President Trump Met Vladimir Putin For the First Time. Here's What a Body Language Expert Saw

Link to actual article: http://time.com/4849232/g20-summit-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-body-language/

Katie Reilly

Jul 07, 2017

All eyes were on U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on

Friday when they sat down for their first face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.

The meeting, which had been scheduled to last 30 minutes, stretched to more than two hours. Trump reportedly raised the issue of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, though Putin denied any meddling on Moscow's part.

The two leaders' conversation included discussions on "Ukraine, Syria, some bilateral and other issues," according to the Associated Press. They also discussed "fighting terrorism and cybersecurity."

Trump and Putin gave brief public remarks before their meeting. "We look forward to a lot of very positive things happening for Russia, for the United States and for everybody concerned," Trump said. "And it's an honor to be with you."

"I'm delighted to be able to meet you personally, Mr. President," Putin said through an interpreter. "And I hope, as you have said, our meeting will yield positive results."

TIME spoke with Patti Wood, a body language expert, to read between the lines. Here are some key takeaways:

'He's the one that's initiating'

The first glimpse of Trump and Putin came before their official meeting, when they were seen shaking hands in a video shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet. Wood spotted something unusual in that footage.

"If you look at that handshake, Trump does something that is different than many other handshakes I've seen him do with other world leaders. He's the one that's initiating. His body — and whole body, actually — steps forward and leans forward as he goes to shake hands. And he offers his hand . . . more palm-up, more in supplication, which again is unusual. Usually he offers it palm down to be on top. And if you look at his demeanor, he seems to be happy."

By comparison, Wood said Trump's handshake with Merkel on Thursday showed the German leader making the first move.

“She offers her hand with the palm up in supplication to him and at the same time she has her head down and tilted to make eye contact with him to say, ‘Hey, we need to shake hands.’ That’s letting go of some of her power . . . h e’s just standing there, and she has to make the effort to shake hands with him. And then when he shakes hands with her, it’s very brief. He’s not really in-the-moment with her. It’s just 'O.K., this is a photo op.'"

'He’s supportive underneath Putin’s arm'

In the same video, Trump taps Putin's arm with his left hand during their handshake and later pats his back — a gesture that typically indicates support, Wood said.

"When you use your left hand in a handshake, typically it’s a power move, it’s a controlling move to say, ‘I surround you.’ But there are variances in that. There are slight nuances. And in this particular case, Trump puts his left hand up underneath, which is the supportive cue, up underneath Putin’s arm and taps it three times.

Now that’s going to sound odd, but three actually has a strong symbolic reference in nonverbal communication, and typically it means a true feeling or a true emotion. So you combine all those together: He’s supportive underneath Putin’s arm, he’s touching it three times in a gentle pat. It means, ‘I support you, I really support you.’

Now that is also interesting if you compare it to other handshakes where he takes that outside hand and he might grip above the elbow or grip all the way up on top of the arm or hit — have actual hitting motion — to strike the person to say, ‘I can hit you, right here. I can hit you symbolically in front of the world.’ So the tapping motion and the hitting motion are quite distinctly different.”

By comparison, Trump's handshakes with other world leaders — including his recent white-knuckle grip with French President Emmanuel Macron at the NATO Summit — have drawn attention for being awkward or aggressive.

'His slouch is a little bit more pronounced'

Trump's behavior during sit-down remarks with Putin before their private meeting resembled his stance in other settings, Wood said.

“Trump has a standard seating position in these scenarios, where he has his legs spread apart and he’s doing that particular steeple pose with his hands clasped and pointed between his legs," she said. "That’s all about manliness."

But she noticed some slight differences on Friday compared to Trump's previous interactions with leaders, including his post-election meeting with former President Barack Obama in the White House. For example, she said, Trump faced toward Putin during most of their exchange, and he again initiated their handshakes.

“Typically, Trump’s legs are slightly further apart. And that seems like a small thing, but it’s actually quite distinct because the legs’ breadth apart speaks to a feeling of power and manliness and alpha, so in this case, they’re not quite as far apart.

The other thing that’s interesting as you compare their demeanors is Trump usually does lean forward and he has shoulders slightly slouched. But in this case, I went back and compared this particular meeting with other meetings, and his slouch is a little bit more pronounced."

Trump's Body Language, Hugging and Hugs Denied and the Meaning of the Man Hug

When does a hug become performative, or a power play? (i.e. the Comey handshake) There is a man hug ( see excerpt from my book SNAP Making the Most of First Impressions Body Language and Charisma below. That is a sign of affection. This is not a man hug. Trump patted him ever so briefly broke the handshake (the man hug extends it and the hand on the back or shoulder brings the person in close and it lingers) and whispered to him so Comey had to bend down to Trump. Trump broke the handshake with the pat making the he pat was an power play, a top down admonishment.

- Why would Trump go in for an unwanted hug even when the spotlight's not on him? Some huggers where raised to be huggers based on their culture and or their family. Some huggers are expression their personality by always hugging. Some people who are huggers don’t feel connected or that they have fully expressed themselves until they hug. Their hug is part of their identity, and may even create for them a unique moment or marker in their interactions. I study and teach body language and personality assessment. The extroverted huggers in my audiences over the years say, “I am a hugger!” “If someone doesn’t want to hug, I make them!” I think it may feel like a win to some huggers, while others feel like they are able to give their affection in hug and set the tone. Some report, she didn’t want that hug, but then she gave in!” It’s a very interesting mixture of power and warmth. Remember Trump refused to shake hands for years. Look at the old news stories on his anti handshake days. Back then he gained power by not shaking hands as a handshake is an agreement to start the interaction unarmed.

What's the meaning of a hug denied, from the rejected hugger's point of view? Thinking of the instance at NATO when Macron seems to deny Trump's open arms. This instance is interesting for several reasons. As you watch Macron is seen walking on the far left towards Trump, then he veers over to shake hands with her. Some have shared that it was women first etiquette, but he veered so far left it looks like purposeful game of “fake you out!”, meant to unsettle Trump the way he tried to unsettle Macron with that, “I am not letting go” handshake on Macron’s visit to the us. It’s a snub and we see a mircrofacial cue of anger by Trump in response, his lips press together and his eyes narrow tightly and his check and chin muscles tighten

- In your opinion, do you think these hugs are purely about power, or might he genuinely crave physical connection. It varies, from person to person and it can also serve both functions for some people.

.” I first noticed the man hug being exchanged by the male athletes in my communication classes at Auburn University. The young men would see a fellow athlete in the hallway or on the campus green and want to give a hug of warmth and friendship, but they were out in public view. People were watching. So they would give a combination handshake-hug. In the handshake-hug, the men first stick out one hand for a handshake and then, with their right hands locked in the handshake (to keep the two participants from getting too close), each wraps his left arm around the other’s shoulder and hugs. The two men hug with only their upper bodies touching and their lower torsos held out and away. Finally, to insure that no one can misconstrue this partial hug as a sissy move, each takes the hand that he briefly held against the other’s back and pounds hard three or four times.

In fact, you could tell if the men were close buddies. They would strike each other harder, just to show how much they cared! Men showing affection through hitting says, “I love you, guy, but not that way.” Unlike the traditional hug, which symbolically and effectively brings people into the intimate zone of space, removes barriers, and unites the two persons embracing, this pounding hug brings only the upper torso into intimate proximity of less than 14 inches. The two extended right arms block any symbolic joining of the two bodies. The aggressive act of striking the back insures that each man knows the other is still a testosterone-rich, card-carrying member of the “man club.”

The man hug, or pound hug, is exclusively performed between two males. It also goes by other names, including “pound shake, dude hug, shug, or the bro hug. It’s a greeting or parting ritual that demonstrates a certain level of intimacy typically reserved for close friends and family.

While the different names for the man hug have entered the lexicon, the meaning of the hug has expanded to cover other things as well. Men can now “hug it out” in other circumstances. First heard by the masses in an episode of Friends on TV, the phrase hug it out means that one person gives another (usually a male) a pound hug to help the man get through a difficult or sad situation. Instead of being a spontaneous show of affection, this hug is preceded by a request for permission before it is given. So the exchange sounds something like this:

Person 1: “Man, my girlfriend just dumped me.”

Person 2: “Do you wanna hug it out?”

In an episode of Entourage, two of the guys were in a screaming argument on an elevator. Once the doors opened and they were in public view, one guy turned to the other and said, “Wanna hug it out?” In this use, the pound hug, preceded by the phrase “Wanna hug it out” means: “Hey, we were arguing, but now that we are in public, let’s show we are friends for now. Then we can continue this later in private.” The phrase “Lets hug it out, @#$#,” means “Let’s be friends again” after an argument, or when one man feels he has insulted another.

Melania Trump Slaps President's Hand Away to Say "She Won't Be Treated as a Child," Says Body Language Expert, Patti Wood

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/melania-trump-donald-slap-hand-israel-visit-us-first-lady-president-child-treated-body-language-a7750871.html

Yesterday US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.

As always, the eyes of the public were watching their every move, and much has been made of a particular public moment between the couple.

After disembarking from the plane, the President walks ahead of his wife and holds his hand back for her to take Melania, however, swats it away, in what appears to be a display of couple disunity. But what does this mean?

We asked body language expert Patti Wood what her opinion is.

Wood believes the First Lady’s action was deliberate: “He was walking way in front to show his power and putting his hand back to lead her like a child, her hand went under his and up and out to say ‘No, you can’t lead me like a child.’”

However it’s also possible Melania batted her husband away because she was cautious about showing public affection in Tel Aviv.

The incident could be a further sign of how the Trump’s relationship has changed since becoming the First Couple.

Wood points out that before the residency, she thinks their relationship was “high contact,” and “highly sexualised, with him touching intimate zones of her body in public freely and easily, typically as he smiled and even gloated.”

In the past few months, however, we’ve seen Trump often powering out in front of his wife and leaving her behind. “He wants to be seen as a president. Not as part of a presidential couple,” Wood explained to The Independent.

But in February, we saw the opposite happen: when Melania went to take her husband’s hand, he simply patted and dropped it, suggesting he didn’t want to hold hands.

Wood believes, on the whole, that Trump is calling the shots when it comes to their public image: “He is determining how they will present themselves.

“She tries to hold his hand at times in an affectionate way, which makes me think that was their normal way of walking. She is used to affection and often leans it to get it, but we see him turn away or smack her hand away in an admonishing way.

“There are also several photos where her response to his behaviour is hurt or anger.”

According to Wood, Melania’s body language around Trump has changed a lot in the past few months - she used to be “a model married to someone that desired her,” and her body language was “very loose, open and comfortable in her own skin.”

But now, Wood says Melania has become someone “whose shoulders go down, whose mouth turns down, who gives furtive, down-gazing looks, and who is tense, tight, small and unhappy.”

In fact, so much has been made of Melania’s facial expressions that ‘Sad Melania’ has become a meme, and many people believe she is unhappy in the marriage.

Melania looks like someone reluctantly serving out a community service sentencing for making a poor life choice #TrumpTrip

Patti Wood Body Language Expert Blog

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Trump Wins Handshake With Putin, I was misquoted Entirely.

Body language experts see reserve, deference, power plays in Trump-Putin meeting

President Trump Met Vladimir Putin For the First Time. Here's What a Body Language Expert Saw

Trump's Body Language, Hugging and Hugs Denied and the Meaning of the Man Hug

Melania Trump Slaps President's Hand Away to Say "She Won't Be Treated as a Child," Says Body Language Expert, Patti Wood

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