As some of you have seen in limited television clips, our
Secessionist-in-Chief Rick Perry seems
uncomfortable, awkward, and ill at ease when being questioned or put on the spot. In his clumsy and inarticulate remarks about the Texas wildfires, he came across as someone who had been told he couldn’t leave the state until he had said something, so he muttered something utterly devoid of compassion or vision, checked the box, and left to return to his only true mission: the quest for the presidency.
In Texas, we really see very little of Perry, as he’s usually out of state (or out of the country) poaching jobs and cutting lucrative deals for his faithful donors. It’s therefore quite fascinating for us to see him on the national stage, where we can observe his non-verbal communication cues.
Years ago, I had a fantastic boss who clued me in to the benefits of observing and interpreting body language in business dealings. Prior to that, I was always the person at the table taking copious notes and ignoring visual cues, as it allowed me to focus on what the person was saying. It turns out that the words, and even the tone of voice, are poor substitutes for the message being conveyed by the face and the body.
Follow along below the nervous twitch for more...
You needn’t be an expert in body language to see when a person is uncomfortable. Small children, and most dogs, are pretty good at it. As adults, we tend to give credence to what we hear, although most information is conveyed visually. We override our instincts, and as a result, find ourselves in many suboptimal situations at work and at home, and in our business dealings.
Much has been written on the subject of body language, and for anyone wishing to learn more, I would recommend the very readable:
What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People
Joe Navarro, a former FBI counterintelligence officer and a recognized expert on nonverbal behavior, explains how to "speed-read" people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls, and look for deceptive behaviors. You'll also learn how your body language can influence what your boss, family, friends, and strangers think of you.
When there’s a significant “disconnect” between a person’s words and their true thoughts, their body is likely to betray them. Politicians offer us an excellent laboratory in which to observe and interpret cues as to their true feelings.
Most people have some innate ability to discern whether someone is being honest with them (sometimes we suppress our instincts and convince ourselves that, despite some very compelling evidence to the contrary, there’s nothing to worry about, but that’s another story for another time…).
From the comments on this site, it’s clear that many of you have picked up on the fact that some of our GOP candidates are clearly uneasy in anything other than carefully scripted events with their (pre-screened) loyal supporters.
If you’ve tried living at odds with reality for any length of time, you know it can be pretty draining. Authenticity is a lot easier. There’s less to keep track of. Political life seems to attract quite a few inauthentic people, and some who are outright frauds. I imagine that keeping up that sort of façade is pretty exhausting, particularly when you add in the stress of constant travel and appearances in potentially hostile environments (you know, the kind with the pesky press and the great unwashed public – ewwww). As Bonnie Raitt noted:
Well, you know how it is with me, baby
You know I just can’t stand myself
It takes a whole lot of medicine
For me to pretend to be somebody else.
This might explain a lot about John Boehner, but I digress…
Your challenge this evening is to observe the candidates for non-verbal clues. One way to do this is to shut off the sound, and simply watch. I promise you, it will make the debate much more interesting. You can always read a transcript in the morning. Plus… unlike debate drinking games, this little animal experiment won’t leave you hung over.