Body language tells all at Manitoba leaders' debate: experts
Experts say Kinew appeared polished, Pallister was flustered and other leaders struggled
One leader put his palm down, another flipped through papers nervously and a third would start moving both of his hands as he got stressed.
Body language experts who paid attention to every gesture and blink made by Manitoba's four main party leaders during Wednesday's televised debate are offering their insight into who they believed performed the best — and worst.
CBC News asked five body language experts outside of Manitoba to watch the debate. Two responded and weighed in on how they thought each leader performed.
For the most part it was all in the movement of hands, but then there was eye contact and tone of voice which some leaders clearly struggled with, the experts said.
NDP Leader Wab Kinew knew how to work the camera and came across as calm and polished at the debate while Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister seemed a little agitated and attempted to veil that with an overconfidence.
"My first impression was that Mr. Pallister was a little flustered. He kept going back to his notes and flipping pages and there was a part where his hands were all over the place and I thought oh dear you're getting a little flustered," said Anne Sowden, an image consultant and personal branding coach in Toronto.
She felt Pallister, who would likely have had many media coaching sessions over the years as a career politician, ignored them and stayed authentic to who he is.
"He's decided that, you know, 'it's not important to me, this is who I am,' and you have to pat him on the back for saying that — this is the way I am," Sowden said.
"My sense is that he's probably a very strong person but he's quiet with it. He didn't raise his voice. There wasn't much of inflection in his voice. It was just facts and figures and he wanted the facts and figures to speak for themselves.
"He's an old style politician."
Sowden, who didn't know anything about the candidates prior to Wednesday, said Kinew came across as very polished and it was clear the former CBC broadcaster is not camera shy.
"What I noticed with Wab Kinew is very strong hand movements. They are the kind of hand movements that say, 'I'm cool, I'm calm, I know what I'm talking about and I'm comfortable with what I'm talking about,'" she said.
It was evident Kinew was well prepared for the debate and noticed he didn't have to flip through notes, she said, but added he could have been stronger if he used his hands more when he was talking about health care cuts, to emphasize his points.
Montreal's Christine Gagnon, an expert in synergology (a form of communication based on the non–verbal aspect) said Kinew appeared the most confident out of the four leaders.
She was watching his gestures and said he stood very anchored in his feet but said he seemed much less confident when talking about jobs that his party wants to create.
"He was not that sure of that," she said.
However, Kinew was passionate when he spoke about why he thinks Winnipeg needs a safe injection site for meth users, Sowden noted.
"He used his hand and he put his palm down which says I'm really committed to this and I really believe that this is important."
Pallister's lack of patience clear
As for Pallister, the one thing he was most clearly passionate about was preventing Kinew from becoming Manitoba's next premier, the experts said.
"We can see that with Mr. Kinew he doesn't have any patience," said Gagnon who thought Pallister appeared aggressive at times.
"We can see it with his hands. His left hand's often on the side of Mr. Kinew," she said explaining how this showed dominance.
"He wanted to stop Mr. Kinew a lot."
Sowden said she thought one of the most tell-tale signs of Pallister's impatience was when he told Lamont not to interrupt him when he was speaking.
"He smiled but it wasn't one of those friendly smiles, it was a smirk, almost like 'I'm talking and how can you talk [over] me,'" she said.
She also pointed out Pallister talked over others at the debate at times.
"He made his own rules."
Both Gagnon and Sowden were very critical of how Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont and Green Party Leader James Beddome appeared.
"[Lamont] doesn't seem really passionate with what he's doing. He's not a go-getter in that debate," said Gagnon.
Sowden said Lamont gives a "really interesting" first impression.
"He didn't even wear a suit, didn't wear a tie. I noticed that he was standing at the podium with one leg crossed in front of the other, very, very, very casual, like he wasn't taking it seriously," she said, adding he didn't appear to have a focused message.
"I wasn't really sure what his main speaking point was."
As for Beddome, who is a lawyer, Gagnon said it's clear he is still very new when it comes to politics.
He had a real problem with his gestures and wasn't confident on many subjects, she said, noting "he couldn't look at people in the eyes."
When Beddome was stressed he kept moving his right hand on top of his left and then he was moving with his shoulders.
He seemed scared to look at people, so instead he would look at his notes or in front of him but not directly at the camera, Gagnon said.
"He was with himself only," she said.
When he was really confident, his gestures were synchronized and his voice went a little bit down, she added.
"He's really easy to read when he is confident and when he's not confident."
Watch the full debate here:
Sign up for CBC Manitoba's newsletter for insight into the latest election news. Every week until the campaign ends, we'll send you a roundup of what you need to know.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
