During today’s US presidential debate, the second in a series of three, viewers were quick to comment on the Republican nominee Donald Trump’s unusual body language.
Trump was observed to be leaning over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as she spoke. He also moved around the space a lot and gestured emphatically.
Most notable, both candidates did not shake hands at the start of the debate.
According to body language expert Michael Kelly of Kelly Speech Communication, Trump’s demeanour reflected a latent “nervousness” and a sense of feeling “out of control”.
But according to Dr Paul Dwyer, head of Performance Studies at the University of Sydney, Trump’s body language revealed something almost counter-intuitive to his words - an openness and willingness to engaging with other’s thoughts.
Not shaking hands
via CNN Source: CNN
“Also if you look, they’re both trying to give a smile,” he said. “But they are disingenuous and inconsistent.”
“There are crease lines at corners of Trump’s eyes, which suggest a little twinkle in the eye, a smile, but then there is a downturn of the lips. Clinton on the other hand, she’s got a bit of an upward turn at the corners of her mouth but there’s nothing come from the eyes.”
According to both Dr Dwyer and Mr Kelly, this opening interaction reflected a pervading sense of uncertainty for the debate.
“He’s looking bemused, to me, as if he’s saying to himself, ‘What are you going to hit me with today?’” said Mr Kelly.
Trump physically leaning over Clinton
via CNN Source: CNN
Trump was frequently reprimanded by the moderators for interrupting Clinton during the debate. Dr Dwyer drew a parallel between those verbal interruptions and Trump's position relative to Clinton when she spoke.
“I think it’s not too far-fetched to draw a line between the talking over her and the standing over her,” he said.
Dr Dwyer was adamant Trump was making a very calculated move by doing this. Trump was not standing randomly behind Clinton. He ensured he was always in the line of the cameras.
“The way they’ve marked the stage out, it’s like a ring and he’s trying to prowl around saying ‘I own this space!’” he said.
However, Mr Kelly was not convinced Trump’s body language conveyed the sense of power he was hoping for.
“The best leaders, when it comes to body language and stature, are measured. They don’t walk without reason; they stay still. Trump wasn’t being presidential,” said Mr Kelly.
Sniffing
via CNN Source: CNN
Having been on his own reality TV show for several years, Dr Dwyer believed Trump would have been able to conceal his sniff had he wanted to, particularly in this second debate.
Instead, Dwyer believed, Trump was using his sniff to emphasise what he had to say.
“He’s kind of like a puffing billy,” said Dr Dwyer.
“It’s almost like he’s overcompensating. It’s like he’s saying, ‘I’m not going to pretend there isn’t a sniff there. I’m going to take a big sniff. I need plenty of oxygen because I’ve got something really important to say.’”
Palms up versus palms down gestures
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When it comes to open hand gestures, there are two main categories, said Dr Dwyer. They are “supine” or “palm up” gestures, and “prone” or “palm down” gestures.
Dr Dwyer observed Clinton’s gestures tended towards prone, while Trump’s tended to be supine. This made Trump appear more “open and engaging” than Clinton.
There’s research in the field of classroom teaching methods to back this up, Dr Dwyer said.
“When a teacher is wanting to open up space for negotiations, that’s when the teacher uses the palm up gesture. So if they ask ‘How did you find that problem?’ and are genuinely inviting responses, they’re almost always accompany that with a palm up gesture,” he explained.
“But when there’s nothing really to negotiate, like if they said ‘Question two is all about revision,' then they’d use a prone gesture.”
Addressing the audience
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Dr Dwyer observed whenever Clinton was asked a question by an audience member, her attention seemed heavily focused towards the person who posed the question.
“With [Clinton], she’s trying to engage with that voter, and by extension with that in-house studio audience, and by extenuation she’s trying to reach directly to the voters who are watching the debate at home,” he said.
However, in Trump’s case, he tended to walk away from the questioner and shift his focus outwards or towards Clinton herself.
Mr Kelly says this behaviour points to a lack of transparency in Trump's entire persona, and may even point towards a hidden fear he has.
“He’s literally and figuratively not being upfront. It’s almost like he’s being out of view or hiding something,” he said.
“In fact, his bombastic nature could be pointing to a lack of confidence in himself.”
The next and final US presidential debate will be held October 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
