A confident Kamala
With Harris appearing in a few other national debates, America was curious what version of the
vice president would be on display. Harris came out strong, walking across the stage to shake
Trump’s hand at his own podium, a move that body language expert Patti Wood feels was
absolutely premeditated.
“Visually, it made her look more powerful,” said Wood.
Viewers form their initial thoughts on who won within the first seconds of a debate and Harris’s
smooth movement was goal-oriented, making her seem confident, explained Wood. Throughout
the night, Harris did not hold back her reaction to Trump’s claims, taking full advantage of the
split screen. Her wide-eyed looks of shock, contemplative hand gestures and head shakes
brought the audience’s attention onto her, even while Trump was speaking. Harris also kept up
the practice of staring directly into the camera when speaking, a favorite technique of Biden’s.
“The actual messaging makes us feel like she’s honest, she can make eye contact,” continued
Wood.
This paired nicely with her tendency to speak directly to the American people, and contrasted
with Trump’s personal exchanges with the moderators.
Of the debate as a whole Wood summarized, “this debate was a war of facial expressions, and
she won.
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.
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.
DONALD Trump was 'intimidated' by Vice President Kamala Harris during their showdown on Tuesday night, a body language expert revealed.
Patti Wood, a body language and linguistic expert with over 25 years of experience, explained how Trump's showdown with Harris differed compared to other debates, highlighting his "Joker-like" smile and minimal eye contact.
Wood shared how Trump's mannerisms revealed a different side to his strong words last night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Harris and Trump faced each other in their first, and potentially only, debate before the November election.
The pair clashed on topics like abortion rights, immigration, and the economy.
Wood exclusively told The U.S. Sun how Harris could have impacted her performance within the first minute of the debate.
The pair awkwardly shook hands at the start of the night, with Trump towering over his 5ft4 rival .But despite the height and size difference, Wood said that Harris going up to Trump and initiating a handshake before the debate displayed confidence and fearlessness - especially since Trump has a history of avoiding handshakes with his opponents.
he body language expert said most viewers form their decision on who won within the first minute of a political clash, and that show of confidence and strength would likely impact how viewers see her going into the conversation.
“It showed that she was not afraid," said Wood.
Wood said both candidates appeared tense at the start but Harris' pace could have given away some of her emotions.
"She was speeding through some of her answers and she had a little bit of tension," Wood said.
Despite this, the body language expert said Harris got this under control throughout the hour-and-a-half-long debate.
SMILES ALL ROUND
Wood suggested Trump's smile, which she compared to "the Joker's" gave away his on-air frustrations.
She said his facial expressions seemed unnatural and disconnected from his eyes, almost as if it was "painted on" rather than a genuine smile.
“When you look at that smile, you know, it doesn't look right, it doesn't look normal," she suggested.
“Looking at somebody that's truly smiling, you feel good when you look at that expression, but we felt uncomfortable looking at that.”
Wood suggested this implied Trump's attempts to hide his genuine anger at some of Harris' comments about him.
She said the smile came out when the vice president mentioned Trump's six bankruptcies, dwindling rally crowd sizes, and his inheritance.
Wood added how his facial expressions also gave away this supposed anger.
“Sometimes somebody could have a facial expression, that is their personality or how we feel, how they feel energetically throughout the debate," she said.
“For the most part had that scowl on his face, that was what he did more often than any other expression.” The body language expert also suggested Trump seemed more uncomfortable and intimidated by Harris due to his lack of eye contact with her.
She said this was a change from his previous debates where he actively looked at and engaged with his opponents.
Wood suggested this avoidance could have shown his inability to confront her directly.
This supposedly manifested itself through Trump's refusal to make eye contact with Harris, even during personal attacks.
In contrast, Harris directed her answers at Trump and to the audience in the camera.
Wood explains that this shows Trump was intimidated by Harris during the debate.
SPEECH AND GESTURES
She said that Harris handled her answers with more confidence than Trump, quickly responding with open, positive body language and a calm demeanor.
Although both candidates occasionally avoided directly answering questions, Harris stayed within the same ballpark of topics while Trump jumped sporadically into unrelated issues, making him appear less organized and confident than the Vice President.
Harris often provided new information during her time speaking, which Wood explained is viewed as a sign of confidence and intelligence.
She said that Trump's frequent repeating of the same talking points, particularly around immigration, hurt him by making him appear less confident in what he was saying.
The expert, who has also served as a debate coach, explained that this repetition of certain phrases seemed to evoke an emotional response rather than genuine belief.
Harris also displayed a lack of belief during the debate, although her disbelief was directed more towards Trump.
Harris's reactions to Trump's statements, which included smiling or laughing, indicated incredulity rather than irritation, which later shifted from humorous to genuine concern as the debate progressed.
Wood said Harris would laugh and smile when she found Trump’s statements absurd, even in his personal attacks against her, which sometimes would cause her to look confused at what he was saying.
The look on Harris' face, along with her resting her chin in her hand, was her way of non-verbally saying, “I can't believe I'm listening to this right now," according to Wood.
She explained that her displays of disbelief could have affected how viewers interpreted Trump's statements.
BIZZARE CLAIMS
The TV debate raised a number of contentious points between the pair.
They went on to discuss their stances on the economy, abortion, immigration, and healthcare with both took personal jabs at each other throughout.
At one point, Trump said he "doesn't care" if Harris Black after being asked about previously questioning her race.
"In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in," Trump said of the Haitian-immigrant population that migrated to the United States during the Biden administration.
"They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there."
Harris, whose mic was off, appeared to mouth "What?" while shaking her head.
ABC's David Muir, one of the debate's moderators, quickly fact-checked the former president, saying the city manager and police in Springfield determined there were "no credible reports" of pets being harmed by migrants in the city - which angered Trump.
"We'll see," the former president said, telling Muir that he saw people on TV in the area say so.
When Harris' mic turned back on, she just chuckled and said, "Talk about extreme."
Muir moderated the debate along with Linsey Davis, however, while Trump was pleased with his performance, he argued the pair ganged up on him during the heated clash.
"I thought that was my best Debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE!" he said on Truth Social after the showdown.
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.
By Body
Language Expert Patti Wood, Author of SNAP Making the Most of First Impressions
Body Language and Charisma.
Body
Language Expert Patti Wood, Author of SNAP Making the Most of First Impressions
Body Language and Charisma.
What does
someone's laugh tell us about them?
Laughter is
a form of nonverbal communication. It combines the different body language
associated with laughter, such as smiles, open mouths, teeth showing, head
back, body bent back, and paralanguage that includes the vocalizations of
laughter. Research shows that the more confident and uninhibited you are, the
more spontaneous and powerful your laugh is.
Here are my
more specific findings on how your laugh reflects your DISC personality. (See
below this for my research background.)
C - The
Corrector/Analyzer/Get it Right personality - Their laugh tends to be more
subdued, may come a beat late, and is more likely to be brief, quiet, and even
silent. They are more likely to laugh with their mouth shut or with only a
small opening and may even laugh with their mouth closed and their lips going
down at the corner. But their eyes sparkle if you are witty.
I -
Influencers/Get Appreciated personality - Their laugh comes quickly, sometimes
even before the funny incident is complete. They are likelier to smile with
their whole face, mouth opening wide, and upper teeth showing. The smile goes
up at the corners, the cheeks go up, and the eyes crinkle with laugh lines at
the corners. They laugh the loudest and longest. They are the least inhibited
by their laughter and may move the most parts of their body to laugh, and they
may laugh the loudest. Their laughs tend to be the most infectious, and they
love getting other people to join in the laughter. They are not inhibited, so
they are not afraid to be the first to laugh or the only person laughing.
D -
Drivers/Get it Done personality. When they do laugh, it comes on immediately.
It's loud, then it is gone. When I do smile, it is larger than most people.
They are confident and assertive laughers. But they will not laugh when it's
not that funny to them.
S -
Sociable/Get Along personality. It may come on more slowly when they laugh, but
it is small, steady, and stable. They are the most likely to laugh politely to
ease tension. Their smile and my mouth go up at the corners, but not too far.
I have
researched nonverbal behavior and DISC personality—several of my projects were
part of my positions as a National Spokesperson for different companies. For
example, when I was the national spokesperson for Benadryl, they sponsored my
research on how the way you sneeze reflects your DISC personality. When I was
the National Spokesperson for The Natural Dentist tooth products, they
sponsored my research on how smiles reflect your DISC Personality.
-- Are there
differences in how laughter from women and men is perceived?
In general,
women are more likely to be "Social" laughers. They use their laugh
to ease tensions and smooth social interactions. In stress or danger, the range
of responses is Freeze, Flight, Fall, Faint, or Friend/Fawn. Women and less
powerful/high-placed individuals are more likely to use the Friend/Fawn stress
response to stress and danger and give a small laugh and or tight smile. For
example, a man may be in a group of people and tell a dirty joke about a woman.
The women in the group may feel hurt or mad, but they may smile and laugh
socially under stress, especially when they have a less powerful position in
the group hierarchy.
Malignant
Narcissists often have a strange artificial laugh that comes a beat or two late
and does not fully affect the face. This means that typically, the facial
muscles go up and are buoyant when someone laughs, and the eyes light up and
look warm to the viewer. But a Malignant Narcissist may fake laugh to look
social ale or may give what I call a mean laugh where the face expression looks
odd and doesn't light up the eyes, and the mouth may go into a sneer with one
side up and one side down. Their brains are wired differently. The pleasure
centers may light up when causing other pain or discomfort.
Trump does
not have a full, open laugh. It's small and has a sort of exultation of breath.
He tends to have a sneer that lingers on his face after he laughs or says
something he thinks is funny.
Harris can
give full, loud, open laughter that affects her full face and body. It is
sometimes a very uninhibited and spontaneous laugh that shows full engagement
and enjoyment. Some people look at and hear that laughter and think it's not
CORRECT or Presidential. And if someone follows and or believes in conservative/outdated
gender norms, it would break the "rule" that women should be more
quiet and submissive. A big laugh under those old rules would indicate that she
is powerful and high on the social hierarchy.
What does it
mean if someone doesn't seem to ever laugh, as is seemingly the case with
Donald Trump?
People laugh
when they get the joke, enjoy the other person or people when they are joyful, intelligent,
and clever, and when they are up to date on the latest cultural idioms, so they
understand the callbacks. If you don't get the joke and don't laugh too, be
sociable and need to be the most powerful person in the room and think laughing
at other people's humor puts you in a one-down position you don't laugh. I am
NOT saying any of these things are true of Trump. I am saying this is what the
research on laughter shows as motivations.
The research
on smiling and laughing shows both physical and psychological benefits.
Laughter can also bond you with others and increase the pleasure of social
interaction. I love seeing how someone lifts with "UP" body language
when they laugh fully.
Search
Phrases What Does Someone's Laugh Say About Them. Why Trump Hate Harris's
Laugh, Gender Differences In Laughter
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.
