Sometimes It’s Not What You Say, but How You Look

Josh Cobden

We media train a lot of leaders at Proof Strategies, and if I had to guess, I would say I’ve personally coached close to a thousand would-be spokespersons. Almost all our clients opt to media train their leaders, because it’s a modest investment that pays big dividends. During media training, we help leaders learn to be articulate and compelling spokespersons that serve the needs of their own organization and the media’s need to deliver interesting, fact-based, useful information to their audiences.

In addition to tips and techniques for creating and delivering memorable messages, handling pointed questions and leading the conversation, we also spend time on body language and facial expressions. Done well, these physical nuances can add credibility, warmth and gravitas. Ignored, they can send the wrong signals.

A presidential debate is like a media interview on steroids. It’s longer, tougher, wider-ranging and the stakes could not be higher. It’s also like fighting a war on two (or more) fronts, with both the moderator(s) and the opponent(s) posing risks. Add to this, real-time fact-checking, and running fast and loose with the facts presents real-time danger. But perhaps the biggest challenge is the always-on, split screen view, with the cameras trained tightly on each candidate at all times.

Which brings us to Trump vs. Harris, and their recent (and perhaps only) debate before the November election. Pundits predicted a bare-knuckle scrap, and that’s what we got for close to 100 minutes. While both candidates delivered some effective verbal jabs and body-blows (there was no knock-out punch), it was Harris’s well-rehearsed mastery of body language and expression when she wasn’t speaking that won her the debate. Quite simply, she took the challenge of muted microphones between answers and the always-on split screen and made them her winning weapons. Let’s look at the many faces of Kamala Harris from the debate.

“Are you kidding me?”

During some of Trump’s most outlandish lies and detours, Harris repeatedly put her hand to her chin and adopted an exaggerated look of confusion. Sometimes she slowly shook her head to signal disbelief. There’s a reason this is already a meme.

“There, there, old man.”

Slightly tipping her head toward Trump, and with a look that combined a stifled laugh with concern, Harris signaled that she was sparring with a weakened opponent for whom she might even feel pity. A bit like the look one might give Old Uncle Don at the family gathering when he starts getting forgetful.

“You disappoint all of us.”

Harris looked directly at Trump during most of his answers (signaling good manners and warmth) while the former president chose to stare straight ahead while she spoke. Occasionally, however, Harris cast her gaze down, and adopted a look of concern. This is an effective transition from signaling amusement to plain old disappointment.

“I’m smiling, you’re crashing.”

One of Harris’s best attributes is her smile, which signals warmth and openness. Her boisterous laugh, once a perceived weakness by Republican strategists, is now viewed as a humanizing trait on the campaign trail. Occasionally, however, Harris torqued her smile from a welcome to a weapon. As New York Times analysts Lisa Lerer and Reid J. Epstein opined, “Ms. Harris looked at him with a condescending smile, performatively leaning in to hear more. He’s the former reality television star, but she clearly understood the power of the medium. Her expression was her rebuttal.”

“Here we go again.”

If you had “it’s time to turn the page” on your debate bingo card, you probably won. Trump’s attacks and exaggerations were easy to predict and dwelled on the past. Harris augmented her “turn the page” mantra with a playful smile and tipped-back head. The message: “Are you really going to trot out that old chestnut? Really?”

Takeaways for the rest of us

If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably not competing for the big chair in the White House any time soon. But if you find yourself in a media interview – or even any important conversation where your face is visible – here are four takeaways:

Emote appropriately. In a televised interview, you don’t always know if your face is on the screen. That means, assume it is. Match your facial expression to the signal you want to send, especially when you aren’t talking. Smile and nod when you like a question. Look concerned, if that’s what the audience expects. Raise an eyebrow and shake your head to signal “no” when you disagree. If you don’t know which way a question is going, keep your expression neutral.

The eyes have it. When listening or speaking, you should always maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Always. Eyes left or right, and you look shifty.  Eyes up, and you look lost.  Break eye contact and you break the spell. The exception: if you need to reset, look down briefly, but never while you’re talking.

Keep track of your limbs. If you’re someone who naturally gestures, have at it, but within reason. Keep your hands inside the width of your shoulders so you’re not tempted to flap. Fold them in your lap if you don’t trust yourself. Don’t jiggle your knees or tap your feet, unless you want to look nervous. Don’t fiddle with pens, rings, bracelets or watches. Never point.

Sit up, lean in. Once you sit down, inch forward, off the chair back and keep your back straight. Now you look poised and present. Tip your head forward slightly when being questioned to show you’re listening. When speaking, bend forward slightly (from the waist, not the neck or shoulders) to signal enthusiasm.

Next time you’re in a media interview (or any important conversation), remember the four steps to success from media training: Know the situation, plan your messages (and use them), stay on course, lead the conversation. But don’t forget that sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you look.

Images captured from the ABC News Presidential Debate and assembled in the New York Times.