User:AmeliaLeeAnnJoy/Nonverbal Political Communication sandbox

1976 State of the Union Address

Nonverbal political communication is the combination of nonverbal communication and political communication. Nonverbal communication consists of every aspect of communication besides the choice of words. Political communication involves the communication between politicians, government employees, and the general public. By combining these two fields of study, communication researchers are able to observe and evaluate how political figures use nonverbal cues to persuade audiences to vote for them in elections, as well as why certain nonverbal habits are used in political situations such as "the handshake."

Nonverbal political communication has been described as important in modern media. Politicians typically have about 30 seconds during a media appearance to make an impression, and their nonverbal communication is oftentimes just as important, if not more important, than their verbal communication.

Though a relatively new concept of communication studies, studies in political nonverbal communication has proved to be increasingly beneficial. Many hold that less than 10% of communication is actually verbal, leaving the other 90% to be consisted of different forms of nonverbal communication. This means that 90% or more of political communication is nonverbal. Because politicians' actions are so often aired on television and social media for the world to see, the role of communications directors and press secretaries has become exponentially more important. The role of a communications director includes developing communication strategies, projecting a positive image to the public, and crisis management, all of which involve coaching the politician in his or her nonverbal communication skills.

Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication consists of body language like gestures, facial expressions, and posture, as well as other aspects of language that are not the words themselves, such as intonation and rate of speech. The term was coined in 1956 by psychiatrist Jurgen Ruesh and author Weldon Kees, and has since become its own discipline of communication research.

Political Communication

Political communication is the communication of political figures, government institutions, campaign teams, citizens/voters, and social movements. One of the most basic forms of political communication is the press release, which is one way government institutions and political figures can communication to their constituents. Other more direct forms of political communication can include speeches and debates.

Studies of Nonverbal Communication in Politics

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign

Ben Wasike published the study, "Gender, Nonverbal Communication, and Televised Debates: A Case Study Analysis of Clinton and Trump's Nonverbal Language During the 2016 Town Hall Debate," in the International Journal of Communication in 2019. In this study, Wasike analyzed factors such as smiling, spatial distance, and posture to examine the politicians' nonverbal communication. Wasike found that Clinton's debate training and political experience likely aided in the consistency of her nonverbal communication, which likely led to her being names the winner of the debate.

Lasse Laustsen and Michael Bang Peterson published a study called "Winning Faces Vary by Ideology: How Nonverbal Source Cues Influence Election and Communication Success in Politics" in the Journal of Political Communication. They examined what physical traits are positively received by audiences, and what traits are not. Laustsen and Peterson found that Conservatives prefer a dominant face, while Liberals prefer a non-dominant face.

Maria A. Kopacz published her study "Nonverbal Communication as a Persuasion Tool: Current Status and Future Directions" in the Rocky Mountain Communication Review. Here, Kopacz focused specifically on political campaigns, and found that a political candidate's nonverbal communication aspects, such as physical appearance, facial expressions, paralanguage, and visual focus, impacts voters and, eventually, election results.

Nonverbal Communication and Political Persuasion

The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion

Politicians depend on persuasion in order to gain the votes of their electorate, as well as uphold the public's faith in government. The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion presents two routes/ways by which people are persuaded: the central and peripheral routes. When an argument is processed through the central route, the content of the argument matter more than when an argument is processed through the peripheral route. Many individuals take in political messages through the peripheral route, without elaborating on the message; because of this nonverbal communication becomes especially important because the electorate can form opinions of politicians based on their nonverbal cues, which is oftentimes easier than attempting to gain the active attention of the general public.

Beyond audience interpretation of the overall message, a politician's nonverbal message has proven to oftentimes be more important to the audience that the verbal message. When a person's nonverbal message contradicts their verbal message, an audience will believe the nonverbal. Additionally, political messages can be hard to understand. When a listener does not understand a message, they turn to nonverbal communication in order to form an opinion.

"The Handshake"

Reagan and Sihanouk shake hands

One of the most famous forms of political nonverbal communication is what is referred to as "the handshake." In politics, there are nonverbal considerations that go into every handshake. The positioning is crucial; the person standing on the left side normally appears more dominant, as their palm is away from the camera and their arm is across their body. Of course, politicians do not always get the left side, so what happens then? That's when the "double-clasp" shows up. When a politician is on the right side of a handshake, he or she will often cover up the top of the other's hand with their right hand, taking away their left-side advantage. Additionally, many photos of politicians on the right end of a handshake show then grabbing the other's wrist, elbow, upper arm, or shoulder, in order to show control.