The first presidential debate is behind us and the consensus winner was Hillary Clinton. Much has been written about why political analysts believe she won. These stories in Vox (7 ways she baited Trump) and Washington Post (Trump’s feud with Latina beauty queen) are two of my favorite takes on what Clinton did to get the best of Trump. What struck me about Clinton’s performance was that she kept on smiling throughout the debate.
Interpersonal communication is mostly nonverbal and study after study have found that people that smile are perceived as more likable and trustworthy. Sure, for the average Trump supporter none of this matters in how they feel about Clinton. However, for those 5-10% of voters that are truly undecided. Clinton’s smile was likely having an unconscious positive affect on their perceptions of Clinton’s debate performance. I’m willing to bet that in prepping for the debate, Clinton was coached to keep on smiling no matter what Trump said.
On the flip side, Trump’s nonverbal communication was not great. His constant sniffing was perceptible and let’s face it, a little annoying. The most famous negative nonverbal debacle in a presidential debate was way back in 1960 when John F. Kennedy faced off against Richard Nixon in the first televised presidential debate. Watching the performance of the two candidates is still instructive on how to do it right, or in the case of Richard Nixon, how to not be prepared.
Learn Clinton and make sure to keep on smiling when you speak in public!
Eco-Econ Future 