POLITICAL DEBATE - BODY LANGUAGE

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY, BUT THE WAY THAT YOU SAY IT!!

An historical moment. The first time 3 party leaders have come together for a debate (if you can call it that). But, it's not just about what they say is it?

Studies show that our responses to people are based upon 3 elements:-

Words
Tone of Voice
Facial Expression/Body Language

You might be surprised that the words used have the least impact (only 7%) and in fact facial expression, body posture and body language have the biggest impact (55%). Add this to the 38% attributed to tone of voice and it turns out it really is less about what you say and more about the way that you say it.

When we observe someone speaking, we are looking for congruence cues between their words, their voice tone, their body language and facial expressions. We are more likely to 'trust' the speaker if their attitude conveys conviction and belief in their words.

So what did we see? Well it was clear why Nick Clegg (according to an immediate poll straight after the show) was in the lead. He had been given some great advice. He made excellent eye contact with the camera - he was personally talking to me (wasn't he?). Conversely Brown's gaze constantly shifted from side to side, giving a 'shifty' impression and a complete lack of rapport not only with the studio audience, but the millions of people watching the programme. Cameron appeared to be a little confused as to where he should be looking; sometimes it was at the camera and sometimes it was at the audience. You'd think it was obvious though - how many millions of people were watching from the comfort of their sofa and wanted to be spoken to. Wanted to know that the person who might run the country had listened to them and understood what they wanted.

Anyone in sales will know that to make a strong sale, you've got to focus on what the customer wants (or at least make it look like this). People don't want to know about how great you think you are, they want to know what you are going to do for them. Brown seemed to forget this and many of his opening statements started with 'I'. Clegg again had mastered this and talked about 'you' (whilst making eye contact with the camera). Can you remember when you were a child feeling like the person in the TV watched you wherever you were in the room? Maybe it was scary then (or it was for me anyway), but with my 'grown-up' head on, I want to feel that they are talking to me. They understand me and they understand my needs.

Brown and Cameron appeard to get engaged in some 'tit for tat' whilst Clegg sat back and let them get on with it. Clegg then used this to his advantage by saying "the more they attack each other the more they sound the same" (The unspoken word therefore being that he is different, he's not one of them and that if you want a change, vote for him).

Did you notice the way Clegg placed his left food towards Cameron, giving the impression of being interested, whilst casually placing his hand in his trouser pocket, creating a relaxed pose?
Brown was mostly square on to his podium with little facial expression and body movement. Cameron had a much more open facial expression, but this deteriorated as the debate progressed as he became more defensive towards Brown and less focused on the voting public. But it was definately Clegg who came across with conviction and what a great move in his summary. He recalled the name of each person in the audience who had posed a question - fantastic! He's subliminally saying "I heard you, I listened to you, I know who you are and how you feel".

So boys and girls, the stage has been set and in the first act, Clegg is definitely centre stage, but he needs to watch out 'cause you never know who is "behind you"!