A guide to body language during the debate

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gestures to the crowd during a rally in Roanoke, Va., on Sept.
24. (Steve Helber/Associated Press)

By Janell Ross
October 9, 2016
It's not our faces that tend to offer the strongest clues about what we are feeling, but rather our
bodies. In fact, the more intense the emotion, the more difficult the human face becomes to read and
the more telling and accurate body language seems to become. That's what a team of Princeton
University researchers found in a study published in the journal Science all the way back in 2013.

So, we checked in with two experts to help us decode some of each presidential candidate's most
common body language in high-stress moments. Both experts reviewed the photos below via email,
without the photo captions. We've edited their comments for clarity and length. We put a special
emphasis on identifying each of the candidates' most common body language, particularly in
stressful situations.

For this reason, A Washington

Post team brought in body language experts to offer live,
during the debate analysis of each candidate's body language. And, The Fix
talked to two experts before the debate to create the following basic guide for debate viewers.
[What two body language experts saw at the second presidential debate]
The experts
David Givens is the director of the Center for Non-Verbal Studies, a nonprofit research center
in Spokane, Wash. Givens's research focuses on body movement, gestures, facial expressions,
adornment and fashion, architecture, mass media and consumer-product design.
Ruth Sherman is a political communications consultant, coach and former faculty member
at the Yale University Women's Campaign School. She has advised candidates and business leaders
on public speaking, debate performance and other forms of communication for decades.
Example One -- Go-to Hand Gestures
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a town-hall meeting on Aug. 18, 2015, in North
Las Vegas, Nev. (John Locher/Associated Press)

GIVENS: Politicians may soften the impact of an aggressively fisted gesture [or aggressive point]
by placing the thumb's fleshy, rounded tactile pad atop the fist's flexed index finger. In the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington, D.C., the 1922 sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln by sculptor Daniel
French featured the president's fleshy thumbs to humanize the monumental 19-foot-high, 120-ton
statue.
In the same way, the thumb-over-fist gesture, first used by President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s,
became a cue used to emphasize speaking points without seeming to be overly aggressive in the
process. After Kennedy, numerous U.S. politicians, including Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack
Obama, used [it] to show strength, to humanize their political speeches, and to disarm and connect
emotionally with voters.

SHERMAN: I think she just picked this up from Bill [Clinton]. It's her go-to emphatic gesture,
when she's trying to make an important point.
She'd be much better off if she didn't use it because of what it reminds us of. This is the gesture [Bill]
Clinton used that reminds us of the famous line, "I did not have sex with that woman." It's [also] a
closed gesture indicating some leakage of tenseness and/or insecurity. Opening her hands would
look better and convey a more open, confident posture.
Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Sept. 21 in Toledo. ( Evan Vucci/Associated Press)
SHERMAN: The most common Trump gesture. Sometimes he mirrors with his other hand and other
times, only his right is engaged. This gesture seems to be Trump's favorite when he's riffing on an
idea or when he wants to emphasize a point.

Example Two -- Watch The Gaze

Hillary Clinton speaks to the media after giving a keynote address at a Women's Empowerment Event at the
United Nations on March 10, 2015, in New York. (Yana Paskova/Getty Images)
Donald Trump pauses during a meeting with members of the National Border Patrol Council at Trump Tower
on Oct. 7 in New York. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

GIVENS: Bowing or tilting the head forward so that the eyes face the ground or floor may
convey a defeated attitude. It may also reflect guilt, shame or submissiveness, as when distorting the
truth or telling a lie. Gazing down while -- or shortly after -- stating "I am innocent," e.g., shows that
a speaker may not believe his or her own remarks. True statements are normally given with a
confident face-to-face or level gaze, which may be held longer than three seconds.
Example Three - Those Hands and Arms Can Say a Lot

Hillary Clinton speaks to reporters at United Nations headquarters on March 10, 2015. (Seth Wenig/Associated
Press)
Donald Trump holds a rally with supporters in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Sept. 28. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

GIVENS: Identified by Charles Darwin in 1872, the shoulder shrug is an interrelated set of 13
body motions, from the head to the toes, used worldwide to show helplessness, resignation and
uncertainty. The shoulder-shrug display involves the entire body in a visual crouch.

Donald Trump gestures as he speaks at a rally at West High School in Sioux City, Iowa, on Oct. 27, 2015.
(Nati Harnik/Associated Press)

GIVENS: Throughout the world, palm-up cues reflect moods of congeniality, humility
and uncertainty. (Palm-up gestures contrast with palm-down cues, which are more domineering and
assertive-like in tone.) Accompanied by "palm shows," our ideas, opinions and remarks may seem
patronizing or conciliatory, rather than aggressive or "pointed." Held out to an opponent across
a conference table, the palm-up cue may like an olive branch, enlisting support as an emblem of
peace. Held out to viewers, Trump welcomes and draws them emotionally closer.

Donald Trump points as he speaks during a rally on Feb. 28 in Madison, Ala. (John Bazemore/Associated
Press)

GIVENS: Donald often uses aggressive, finger-pointing gestures when he speaks. Finger
pointing is universally discouraged around the world, as it focuses too much attention on a viewer.
Pointed fingers, like pointed bones, are often used in sorcery to cast an evil spell. Pointing associates
well with anger, and certainly does so in Donald’s case.
SHERMAN: Is this the "my African American" thing? Of course it looks like he's pointing a
gun, which would be big time leakage, but he might have just come out of his "A-okay" gesture. We
cannot ignore the hat, either, as dress and adornment are nonverbal codes. If it's outdoors, he has to
keep his hair in place, and I do honestly think he created the cap merchandise first for this reason.
[This] goes to his vanity in the topic.

Hillary Clinton answers questions at a news conference at the United Nations on March 10, 2015. (Richard
Drew/Associated Press)
GIVENS: An insistent speaking or listening cue made with the fingers extended and the hand(s)
rotated to a downward (or pronated) position. A posture in which the hands and forearms assume
the prone position used in a floor pushup. While speaking, palm-down gestures show
confidence, assertiveness and dominance. (Palm-down gestures contrast with the friendlier, and
more conciliatory, palm-up cue.) Accompanied by aggressive, palm-down "beating" signs, our ideas,
opinions and remarks appear stronger and more convincing.

Donald Trump speaks at an event with the Remembrance Project on Sept. 17 in Houston. (Evan
Vucci/Associated Press)

SHERMAN: This -- the accordion -- is his second most common gesture. He often brings the
hands together and apart rapidly to add emphasis or when he's wondering aloud about why
something hasn't been done or what something is happening that he thinks should not be. He'll often
move from this one to a shoulder shrug with palms facing up. This seems to convey an impatience
and resistance to being overpowered or even argued with by the conversation partner. Notice, too,
how his elbows are [sitting] tightly against his torso. This is a protective stance and also leaks
insecurity.
That should be enough to help voters navigate the unspoken language of Sunday night's debate.
 8 Elements of Confident Body Language

AUGUST 10, 2017 - SOPHIE THOMPSON - 9 MIN READ

If you want to find the truth, do not listen to the words coming to you. Rather
see the body language of the speaker. It speaks the facts not audible. -
Bhavesh Chhatbar
When you speak, you don’t just speak with what you actually say, you also speak
with your body language. From your facial expressions, to your posture and eye
contact, they all add up to the ‘truth’ behind what you are saying. If you’re feeling
nervous, your body could be giving a different message to your audience than the
one you’re saying.

Body language is an essential part of public speaking success. Your non-verbal cues
will impact on the way your message is received, how engaged your audience is,
and what they think of you as an individual. Even if you’ve prepared the best speech
in the world, if you aren’t animated, open or active then your audience won’t know
what you’ve said.
Working on your body language can make a big difference to how you come across
to your audience, and how you feel about public speaking in general. We’ve put
together 8 of the most important elements of your body language that will shape how
successful your speech is, explaining why they’re important and how you can use
them to your advantage.

1. Power pose
Why? In 2011, US social psychologists Amy Cuddy, Dana Carney and Andy Yap
proposed that holding a ‘powerful pose’ resulted in people actually feeling more
powerful. Their theory suggests that an open pose can raise testosterone levels and
lower your cortisol levels - ie. increase your dominance and lower your stress. If you
have confident body language and pretend you feel powerful, you’re more likely to
actually feel it! And, who doesn’t want to feel powerful on stage?

How:

 Stand straight with your shoulders back and feet shoulder width apart.
 Imagine your shoulders opening up from one another so that they rest
centrally.
 Place your hands either side of your body so that you can easily make hand
gestures when you need to.
 Face the audience as much as possible. If you’re in a large room, tilt your
whole body towards different parts of the audience so everyone feels
included.
Amy Cuddy demonstrates a power pose — spreading your arms wide to appear
more powerful. Image from TED.

Note: Issues with replicating this theory

There has been some debate recently as to whether power posing is actually
effective. Read more here: Power posing replication failure

2. Eye contact
Why? Making eye contact with your audience builds a connection between you and
them and they feel more valued by you. This makes the audience more likely to
respect and listen to you because they feel important. It also makes the audience
trust you more because people tend to avoid eye contact when they’re lying.

Confident body language can also be used as a feedback loop. Making eye contact
is the easiest to way to receive feedback from the audience about your speech. You
can see if your audience are listening and read their facial expressions to see if they
are interested, bored, angry, happy, and so on. You can then alter your speech
accordingly based on the feedback you see. Without making eye contact, you could
go through your whole speech irritating the audience!

How:
  When talking to a large number of people, maintain eye contact with one
audience member for 4 or more seconds before moving to another member of
the audience for 4 seconds, and so on.
 Make eye contact in a ‘Z’ formation - look at one person at the back left corner
of the room, then the back right, then to the front left, and finally to someone at
the front right. Be careful not to just repeat the Z formation with the same
audience members each time you do it - you want to connect with as many
members of the audience as possible.
 In one-on-one settings, maintain eye contact for 9-10 seconds and then break
away to save yourself from coming across as intense or like you’re starting.
(The same applies when answering a question from an audience of any size.)

Practice your eye contact in the virtual world with the VirtualSpeech app. A heatmap
shows you where you were looking.

3. Hand gestures
Why? When used correctly, hand and arm gestures can help enhance your
message and make you seem more confident and relaxed. Gestures amplify your
stories and will help you come across as more genuine and believable. They’re an
essential element of our non-verbal communication in showing others how we feel,
and in turn how we make them feel.
Hand gestures are one of the most clear non-verbal ways we communicate confident
body language or nervous body language - and your audience will react more
positively to the former.

How:

 Think of your hand gestures as a storytelling tool; put verbs into action by
acting them out with your hands.
 Don’t overdo it - gesture sparingly, and focus on action words. Make your
gestures strong and defined.
 Begin in a neutral position with your hands either side of your body so that
your hand gestures flow smoothly.
 Use symbolic gestures to communicate numbers and position, eg. 2 fingers
for the number 2 and a raised hand for stop.
 Use descriptive gestures to communicate movement, eg. shapes, size, length,
etc.
 Use emotional gestures to communicate feelings, eg. hands clasped together
to show pleading, hands raise either side of your head to show despair.
 When using visual aids, point and turn slightly to look at the relevant data, and
the audience will automatically follow your hands and eyes.
 Vary your gestures with different parts of your body. You don’t have to just use
your arms- you could use your legs, facial expressions and full body
movement as gestures too.

4. Movement
Why? Moving around the stage is a great way of showing your audience you are
confident in what you’re saying and including everyone in the
conversation. Commanding the space around you shows strong leadership and,
after all, when you’re presenting you are the leader. When you have confident body
language, you’ll be more dynamic and interesting to listen to and your audience will
not only be more engaged but they will have more trust in your message too.

How:

 Don’t pace around the stage every 30 seconds - this is distracting to your
audience. Wait at least 3 minutes before moving to another area of the stage.
 Time your movement on stage with a change in topic - this is a way of
physically marking the transition.
 Move towards the audience when asking questions or making an important
point.
  When you’re walking to another side of the stage, try to avoid turning your
back to any areas of the audience as this disconnects them and can come
across as rude.
 Avoid swaying or rocking on the spot - either walk to another area of the stage
or don’t move your entire body at all.

Watch 3 examples of positive and negative body language while giving a

speech

5. Expressions
Why? People depend on facial expressions to interpret motives and emotions so an
audience will respond better to you if you are expressive. This is a bit like acting -
you want to emphasize your expressions so that everyone in the audience can
interpret meaning from them.

You could film yourself speaking and identify artificial or unfriendly facial expressions
you make when telling a story and replace them with more genuine, believable
expressions. Try to practice speaking with your face to show happiness, sadness,
anger, and surprise. Your face should reflect the emotions within your stories.

How:

 When trying to show shock or confusion, raise your eyebrows.

 If you’re conveying anger or concern, frown.
 When you’re happy in your story, simply smile.
 For sad moments, frown a little and slightly tilt the sides of your lips
downwards.

6. Mannerisms
Why? Mannerisms are the nervous habits most people have that detract from your
message and can make the audience feel uncomfortable. They are key to confident
body language. Common habits you have that you might not be aware of are fiddling
with your hair or suit, putting your hands in your pockets, and excessively using filler
words such as ‘um,’ ‘so’ and ‘like’.

How:
  To break these habits, film yourself speaking and become aware of them.
 You could ask a trusted friend to tell you if you have any.
 Once you’ve acknowledged your nervous habits, work in your everyday
conversation to break them. If you can break them on a small scale, you’ll
likely find they disappear in front of larger audiences too.

7. Breathing
Why? Even though your audience can’t see your breath, it is a significant factor in
portraying confident body language. Maintaining a slow, steady breath can reduce
your stress levels and make you less likely to revert to nervous habits, bad posture
and excessive movement. Relaxed and deep breaths also ensure that you’re
speaking at the right pace and your voice can project across the room, which in itself
will make you feel and sound more confident.

How:

 Before you present or speak in public, do some breathing exercises to warm

up your voice and fill your lungs. Slowly inhale for 3 seconds, and exhale for 4
seconds. Repeat this as often as you need to, in order to feel calm.
 Always make sure you’re standing up straight so that your lungs can expand
fully.
To maximise your breath, and thus your voice and consequently your influence, you
should aim to fill your lungs all the way down. Image from RADA Effective
Communication.

8. Voice
Why? Your vocal expression is physical and so your body language has an effect on
your voice and can enhance or detract from the message of your speech.

Albert Mehrabian wrote extensively on the relative importance of verbal and non-
verbal messages and his findings have been quoted for years as the ‘7 - 38 - 55
Rule’. That is: our words convey 7% of meaning, our tone 38% and our body
language makes up 55% of what the audience will remember.

When you combine these 3 elements, your audience will be more engaged and
connected with you. So don’t forget that your body language should always enhance
your voice and emphasize your message.

How:

 Imagine you have a string on the crown of your head that is being gently
pulled. This will help elongate your spine, maximise your rib cage and allow
more air to inflate your lungs and support your vocal expression.
 Watch videos of good and bad speeches to see how their words are in tune
with their body language, or how they are not.
 Practice varying your pitch. You can do this with the VirtualSpeech app that
you gain access to when purchasing the Essential Public Speaking course.

Most of our body language and movement is subconscious so it can be difficult to

retrain ourselves away from habits we’ve had for years. However, to master the art of
public speaking you must also master your body’s language too. Of course, you
don’t want to distract yourself from your speech by consciously thinking how you are
standing, where you are looking, and if you’re breathing correctly.

So, as with any other skill, regular practice is the secret to success and the quickest
route to confident body language. You could practice the techniques above in your
day-to-day life so that they become deep-rooted habits and then you won’t have to
consciously think about doing them when you’re on stage.
For more public speaking techniques, take a look at our Essential Public Speaking
course. You can learn with online tutorials then practice with virtual reality and
receive instant feedback on your speech. We’ll even send you a virtual reality
headset so you don’t have to worry about it!