The Total Package

Hand gestures, eye contact and body language all affect how we view a speaker -- and pick a president

By Robert McCoppin | Daily Herald Staff

Published: 9/13/2007 12:06 AM

Whether comedian Bill Mellberg impersonates George Bush or Bill Clinton, audience members tell him, "Oh, you look just like him."

Yet, the balding, bespectacled Mellberg doesn't look anything like his targets. The key to looking like someone, he says, is to act like them.

For Bush, that means a slightly hunched stance and friendly but uneasy demeanor. A stuck-out lower lip while pondering a question evokes Clinton.

Spectators pick up on these traits, whether in a comedy routine or a presidential debate. Subconsciously, those peculiarities help voters judge whether they like each candidate. And that, in turn, helps determine who will become our next president.

Analysts say recent two-term presidents like Bush, Clinton and Ronald Reagan all had inviting body language and a warmth to their voices that made voters feel each man was talking personally to them. It's not simply what they said, but how they said it.

There's good reason for that, speech consultant Patricia Smith-Pierce says: People think they can tell when someone means what they say.

"In our culture, we tend to believe nonverbal messages when they contradict verbal messages," she said. "If I say I feel really good about something, but my facial expressions, gestures and tone of voice say otherwise, you'll tend not to believe me."

With that in mind, we asked experts in nonverbal communication for their thoughts about how the current crop of presidential candidates comes across, and what lessons they offer anyone faced with public speaking.

Welcome gestures

A lifelong New Yorker, Republican Rudolph Giuliani talks with his hands. His left hand dismisses bureaucrats with a wave, while his right seizes opportunity. His index finger points down rap-style for emphasis, and his palms open up to the skies with possibility.

Combined with lively eyes and an expressive face, Giuliani's gestures communicate passion, analysts say.

"They're very encompassing kinds of gestures," said Smith-Pierce, president of Power Speaking Consultants in Schaumburg. "He's a very large-gesture person -- typically, that invites people to join you."

Paul LeRoux, author of "Visual Selling" and speaking coach for Twain Associates in Chicago, says public speakers should always look for a chance to emphasize their words with specific gestures.

Something as simple as putting both hands out in front will reinforce a "stop the war!" message, while joining hands will signify a need to "come together."

Inspiring delivery

An inspirational delivery can make any speaker memorable. And Illinois Sen. Barack Obama gets high marks because his erect posture, upward gaze and inclusive gestures seem to promote noble ideals.

An Obama pose from the 2004 Democratic National Convention speech that put him on the political map was to open both hands with palms outward.

According to professor Heather Harder, who teaches The Silent Language of Leadership at the University of Chicago, this is a sign of vulnerability, saying "come to me."

On the other hand, LeRoux noted, Obama also tends to emphasize fine points by repetitive pointing, or pinching together his thumb and finger, in a pedantic and repetitive way that can make viewers uncomfortable.

Most 'presidential'?

"Looking presidential" is a quality as hard to pin down as pornography: It's difficult to define, but you know it when you see it.

One candidate who already looks the part, according to public speaking coach and media trainer Alissa Krinsky of Media Success Inc., is former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican.

"It's his height, and his overall demeanor," she said. "This man was very successful in business, and he has a CEO look to him."

Enthusiasm

OK, maybe Democrat John Edwards has the best (or most expensive) hair -- at least among the men -- but our consultants also said he has great enthusiasm and eye contact.

On TV, eye contact with individuals is less important than looking into the camera like you mean it. Ronald Reagan, a former actor, was a master of this.

Reagan also had a visual flair for the dramatic, noted Krinsky, a former TV reporter. When he got off Air Force One and waved a florid salute, it may not have been military regulation, but he exuded enthusiasm and patriotism.

Nixing negatives

Two prominent candidates drew negative comments from speaking consultants: Democrat Sen. Hillary Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain.

Clinton, some experts said, at times appears "defensive," "stiff" and "robotic." Others, however, felt she looked "strong" and "confident."

As a pioneering female candidate, the Park Ridge native faces a special challenge, Smith-Pierce said, to appear both strong and warm without being shrill or sentimental.

McCain's challenge is different. The Arizona senator's tendency to look like he's grinding his teeth can be grating. But Krinsky felt he can make up for it with the "gravitas" of his wartime experience tempered by his sense of humor.