A Politician s Body Language - 1194 Words

Rachel Notley: A Politician’s Body Language Background and Context: A politician needs to master two languages: verbal and nonverbal. Nonverbal communications include such things as posture, gesture, tone of voice, facial expression, and eye contact. â€Å"Just as a dimmer switch on a light can be used to adjust intensity, nonverbal cues often reveal shades and degrees of meaning† (Weaver, 1978, p. 21). David Gergen attributed a major part of Ronald Reagan’s political success to his effective body language, observing that his â€Å"sense of humour and smile, when dealing with the press in television, were worth a million votes† (as cited in Grabe, 2009, p. 155). As a result, it is essential for politicians to master this language since a simple†¦show more content†¦In addition, there is a lack of excessive pauses, slips of the tongue, repetitions, and incoherence in Rachel Notley’s voice. The lack of these vocal characteristics portray confidence and sincerity. During the debate, Rachel Notley maintains an upright posture with the shoulders pushed back while the chest is pushed forward. Her feet are shoulder-width apart. In addition, her head is held high in neutral position with the ears in line with the shoulder line and the chin parallel to the floor. While Rachel Notley talks to Jim Prentice, her hips, shoulders, and head are slightly turned to the right. At times, Rachel Notley also moves her head vertically, horizontally, or sideways preventing her posture from becoming too stiff. Numerous hand gestures are used by Rachel Notley during the debate. The most common is the cutting movement, moving the arms vertically with the palms facing each other. While defending her proposal on corporate taxes, Notley excessively uses this hand gesture. At the end of her remarks on this issue, Notley has her palms downward with the fingers straightened. This signals the end of her argument. In addition, Rachel Notley also uses her fingers to demonstrate numerical amounts indicating the numbers two and five. During the debate, Rachel Notley maintains eye contact with Jim Prentice, other candidates, and the