With Body Language, Presidential Candidates Say A Lot

[THUNDER HANDS]

Barack Obama has the finger point. Hillary Clinton has the karate chop. John McCain is ground into the floor. Voters can tell a lot about presidential candidates from their body language. Experts explain how. In their first one-on-one debate, the different styles of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were readily apparent.

As Clinton emphasized the highlights of her husband’s “trajectory of change,” in moving “deficits and debt to a balanced budget and a surplus,” she chopped the air with one hand, then the other. Obama, his left hand raised, index finger and thumb extended, seized the moment to turn the tide of the conversation. “The question is, how do we take the country in a new direction?” he said. Matching the rhythm of his speech, he moved his hand up and down buoyantly.

As the campaign for president settles in for the long haul, with candidates hoping to underscore their differences to an electorate already bombarded by debates, primaries and flashy advertising, body language experts say it’s not just the verbal messages that help influence voters. It’s how they move, too. Karen Kohn Bradley, a public speaking coach and professor of dance at the University of Maryland, has been studying politicians’ gestures since 2002 and sees noteworthy contrasts among the candidates in this race. “Hillary is much more grounded and a little narrower,” Bradley noted. “She has gestures extending in front of her. Rarely does she spread her arms out. She has the ability to stop her actions, to be contained.”

In contrast, Obama’s gestures are wider and lighter. “Barack will use the finger point, and there’s a little bit of a lilt to it,” said Bradley. “She’s more private, he’s more open. She’s more about setting the agenda forward. He’s more about weighing and explaining.” Democrats looking for a tough and disciplined candidate will lean toward Clinton, said Bradley, while people who are attracted to openness will choose Obama. As for the Republican candidates, Bradley said, their styles have even sharper contrasts.

http://greatreporter.com/mambo/content/view/1652/1/

[Window]

1. Quite interesting.

Thanks for sharing.




Peace:thumbsup:

[housewolf]

2. Very interesting

Thanks for posting.

[Kaylee]

3. Thanks for posting this. Very interesting.

[THUNDER HANDS]

4. more...

“I just like the way Barack carries himself,” she said. “He’s much less aggressive in his demeanor than Hillary. He’s more relaxed, more approachable. We need an approachable president.”

For Lisa Waterbury, 29, a Connecticut Democrat, it was Hillary Clinton’s discipline that swayed her vote.

“I think she’s very strong,” Waterbury said. “She probably ran the country when Bill was in office.”

“She’s one of the most self-confident women out there,” agreed Tom Whitfield, 55, of Tennessee. Whitfield opted for Obama, however, because of his “youth and enthusiasm.”

Though Hillary Clinton has embodied for some voters a sense of discipline and confidence, she revealed a different side in what has come to be known as her “New Hampshire moment,” when she appeared misty-eyed, her chin cradled in hand, after a voter asked about the stresses of the campaign trail. Though many have speculated as to whether Clinton was sincere, the emotion she showed may have influenced the outcome of the New Hampshire primary.

“I don’t know whether it was authentic or not,” said New Yorker Phyllis Mollé, 74. “But it made me think she was more human.”


http://greatreporter.com/mambo/content/view/1652/1/