Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Body Language Questioning Michael Cohen

From an article, I contributed for Bustle with the full link below to the article.

Ocasio-Cortez, on the other hand, gained praise for the way she sharply got Cohen to give the committee a list of names of Trump associates who have inside knowledge of certain troubling practices by the president and because she pushed the case for Democrats to subpoena his tax returns. "It was very clear that she was prepared ... She was deliberate and forceful — but not rude, which was distinctly different from a lot of the Republican representatives who yelled and screamed," Patti Wood, author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma, told Refinery29. She added: "What I found most interesting is she was listening to what he said. That's actually unusual. She listened and then she did follow-up questions based on what he said instead of going into the next question. ... She was focused on her goal: To get information."

The 29-year-old congresswoman, who sexist critics have often derided as a "bimbo" who has no place in Congress because she used to be a bartender, spoke frankly of how the new crop of freshman congresswomen — specially those who are millennials like her and Hill, or people of color like her, Tlaib, and Pressley — consistently face the fatal duality of nearly impossible standards to meet and the absolute lowest of expectations they will get there. "People think it’s a joke when folks say we have to work 2x as hard for the same seat. Whether you believe it or not, the upside is when we do get here,we’re used to being held to a diff bar," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "To being doubted. To getting new hoops thrown @ us last min. So we know how to perform."

If Wednesday's hearing was any proof, however, the freshman congresswomen are only getting started.

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/02/225652/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-questions-michael-cohen-freshman-congresswomen?fbclid=IwAR1Vbyh-AFwB7FzAUEgMXYiKpsApUCpr9tcBxgSrMLUV3_-9rQj4tj_C0T

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.
     

Michael Cohen's Body Language During His Congressional Hearing

Feb. 27, 2019, will be remembered as the day President Donald Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen publicly spilled the tea to Congress. The former Trump attorney spent the better part of Wednesday fielding questions from members of the House Oversight Committee about his decade-long history with the president. A lot was discussed, but there's a whole other layer of the public hearing that's worth taking a look at. Michael Cohen's body language during his congressional hearing shows he was prepared.

On the second day of a three-day stretch of testimonies, Cohen appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 27 for the only public hearing he'll be taking part in. While Cohen shared a lot about his time with Trump, including more on Stormy Daniels' alleged affair with Trump — which the president denies— there was one glaring portion of the hearing that couldn't be overlooked: Cohen has a history of lying to Congress. In December, Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple crimes, including lying to Congress about the length of time the Trump Tower in Moscow deal extended into Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, according to CNN. He will begin his sentence in May.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Newsweek in a statement that "it’s laughable that anyone would take a convicted liar like Cohen at his word."

But clearly, people were interested. On Feb. 27, Cohen appeared before Congress in an intense hearing that addressed a lot of the things we all wanted to know, including details of the hush-money payment Cohen admittedly made to Daniels over the alleged affair, alleged conversations about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russia-associated lawyer, and even whether the 2016 Trump campaign may have colluded with Russia. But, what can we believe?

Body language expert Patti Wood tells Elite Daily by email that figuring out whether Cohen is telling the truth or not is "difficult to discern because he is a practiced, rehearsed, known liar." She added, "If someone has justified for decades doing unethical things and lying on a regular basis, tells dissipate," she said, referencing the physical cues that indicate a lie.

However, Wood did say that when it came to Cohen saying negative things about Trump — like in his opening statement where he called him a "con man" and a "cheat," she thinks Cohen believed what he was saying, thanks to the "strength in his voice and definitiveness in his head movements and small spontaneous forward movements."

"He was honest and authentic [in] his delivery of those specific statements about Trump," Wood added.

One of the most memorable moments in Cohen's testimony was when he castigated lawmakers, as well as himself, for supposedly enabling President Trump. In response to Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tennessee)'s question about when he reached his "breaking point" with the president, Cohen said,

Helsinki, Charlottesville, watching the daily destruction of our civility to one another. Putting up silly things like this. Really unbecoming of Congress. It's that sort of behavior that I'm responsible for. I'm responsible for your silliness because I did the same thing that you are doing now for 10 years. ... I can only warn people the more people that follow Mr. Trump as I did blindly are going to suffer the same consequences that I'm suffering.

Wood thinks that yes, his anger is real. "The synchronicity of his statements with his facial expressions and head movements indicate that he is honestly angry and indignant," she notes.

On the other hand? Cohen may be performing, she says. "There was also a moment here where he asked for a break and he breathed and relaxed and smiled little bit," she says. "That made me realize he thinks he’s doing a really good job, and again, there there is bit of performance."

Wood has some insight into another one of the biggest moments of the hearing — when Cohen said he doesn't know of any "direct evidence" of Russian collusionbut "has [his] suspicions."

"Under that one line of questioning Cohen immediately changed his body language and vocal delivery," she says. She points out that Cohen took more than a few pauses and "hemmed and hawed" while looking around, taking on the appearance of someone "not very smart." She thinks it appeared to be an act, due to its lack of spontaneity. "It was clear to me he was actually very smart, well prepared, [and] very careful about his wording," she says. "For example, he was correcting those who questioned him [and was] very particular about certain words like 'collusion.'”

It's an interesting situation to have a witness who is also going to jail for lying while dishing on the president. It just goes to show — nothing is impossible in 2019.

https://www.elitedaily.com/p/michael-cohens-body-language-during-his-congressional-hearing-says-a-lot-16407547?fbclid=IwAR0Kpltljs-rqkKqbOt2hszBqqkrDQV7ztrxPtVgCsOCCruLmzgx5OFuJIc

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.
     

How to Recognize Dangerous People, Behaviors and Body Language of Dangerous People

Creepy Habits Untrustworthy People Have In Common

By CAROLYN STEBER

I contributed to this article in Bustle with my body language insights from my forthcoming book on Malignant Narcissism. 

They don’t break eye contact

When it comes to manipulative people — see: sociopaths, narcissists, etc.  may have a habit of staring intensely at others, and making creepy amounts of eye contact.

"They look at their target with [a] focused, intense gaze," body language expert Patti Wood, MA, tells Bustle, usually as a way to test boundaries. "They may do or say something uncomfortable right before or after the hypnotic gaze to test how the target responds."

To figure out if the situation really is unsafe, Wood says you should break eye contact or move away, and see how they react. If they get upset, or you feel a huge amount of relief, your intuition was likely correct.

They Dominate The Conversation

While some people just like to tell stories, manipulators will try to dominate entire conversations. "This 'over talking' involves auditory space invasion and other paralanguage factors that show they are in control," Wood says. "They are often quite charming and good storytellers, so it may be hypnotic to listen to them." But if you don't feel included, or can't get a word in, they are likely someone who doesn't have your best interests at heart.

Since narcissists tend to get really upset when things don't go their way, keep your eye out for shocking mood swings when interacting with others. As Wood says, "They can shift all their nonverbal behaviors in the blink of an eye and transform themselves."

This might include switching from really sweet, to super irritated a second later. Or they might morph into an entirely different "character" in order to get their way, Wood says. It can be so manipulative, you might not even realize it's happening until the person's already sucked you in.

But the moment you do, don't be afraid to reach out for help, or to leave the situation as soon as you can.

For more go to.
https://www.bustle.com/p/11-creepy-habits-untrustworthy-people-have-in-common-16172440?fbclid=IwAR0VxXNrXeblWpKiqcOEnuKt6qst8bq5eZu5AYGjHt0uktJ81rVGPd54bC


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.
     

Michael Cohen's Testimony, How Bad People Justify Their Behavior.

I Am Not A Bad Man....

One of my favorite lines from Michael Cohen's testimony came after he shared all the horrific illegal immoral actions he had taken as Trump's lawyer. He said, "I am not a bad man." in all my years of analyzing congressional testimony, murder trails and just listening to people explaining unethical business practices and their infidelity this is a line I hear. The thing is innocent people NEVER say, "I am not a bad person". People who's facade, who's image is important then, such as malignant narcissists. say this. In fact, I am sure they repeat it over and over. Its clear to me that they can justify their bad behavior in some way so that they can say that to themselves. I have heard men say, "Well I had to do that. (that being let's say, not pay someone they owed or break a contract or their word" I have a family to support" so they justified their unethical act with what I am sure they saw as a higher code of being a good provider. As many times as Cohen mentioned his family, it was clear he was using that trick of moral code. Though the last time I checked he could have supported them on far less than his millions earned through horrific actions against our country.


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 Analysis of Michael Cohen's Testimony Before Congress, by Body Language Expert Patti Wood

I see him using anger, in his raised definitive voice and small slight jerky head movements to defend himself and energize his delivery. Considering context testifying before Congress having known to have lied it seems interesting that he mad and indignant, to the congressional body that he lied to about his federal crimes.  The synchronicity of his statements with his facial expressions and head movements indicate that he is honestly angry and indignant. There are clear indications that’s what Call, "Feel, Show, Say" He is feeling indignant and angry and those emotions arise from the limbic system he shows it nonverbal cues again that comes from the Linux system and then he, and then he says it with his words, That come from the neocortex.

 Whether someone is telling the truth or not is much much more difficult to discern because he is a practiced rehearsed known liar  If someone has justified for decades doing on ethical things and line on a regular basis tells dissipate. 

 If you don’t feel guilty if you feel no remorse if you feel justified in your actions then you’re not going to show anxiety and nervousness when you lie. 

 I can’t say when he says negative things about Trump such as the comments and his opening statements that was his strength and his voice and definitiveness in his head movements and small spontaneous forward movements that indicated he believed what he was saying.  He was honest and authentic and his delivery of those specific statements about Trump. 

Again he’s using the anger to energize himself this is a weary man if you look at his facial muscles you’ll see especially around the forehead around in the eyes their lowered appearance.

  Something that is of interest to me that is more characteristic of Cohen is the slight lack of symmetry between the right and left side of his mouth.  This lack of symmetry comes from talking out of the side of your mouth scientifically that means that you feel one thing you know someone thing to be true but you say something that’s not true.  Again this is a characteristic of COHEN and not something that’s happened just in the testimony. 

Another aspect of his testimony that I found interesting is that when he was apologizing in his opening testimony and it is closing testimony he did not bring down his head he did not close his eyes and shame he did not have a downward body motion another aspect of his testimony that I found interesting is that when he was apologizing in his opening testimony and it is closing testimony he did not bring down his head he did not close his eyes and shame he did not have a downward  demeanor.  Which all which would show shame,  he pushed and energized his delivery,  oddly seemed proud of his admission of guilt. 

You didn’t ask about this but I watch testimony or he's asked about trumps collusion and knowledge of Russia helping Trump win the presidential campaign.  Under that one line of questioning COHEN immediately changed his body language and vocal delivery he paused, in fact, he paused a lot he hemmed and hawed, he looked around his head cane town protectively and instead of being confident and angry he took on the appearance of someone who was not very smart.  All of which appeared nonverbally to be an act,  lacked spontaneity and authenticity nonverbally.   As both a body language expert,  media coach and someone who has prepared people who have testified before Congress.  It was clear to me He was actually very smart well prepared very careful about his wording.   For example, He was correcting those who questioned him very particular about certain words like “collusion.” 

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.