In the Times 'Ideas at Work' section (17/6/09), Carol Lewis interviews best-selling business author James Borg, a communication skills expert. According to Borg, Obama and Clinton beat Gordon Brown 'hands down' on the presentation stakes, a reference to the importance of body language in effective communication. Apparently, Obama speaks in threes, addressing those in front, then those to either side (the human brain likes things in threes, understanding the concept of a beginning, a middle and an end). The President's hand gestures are open, he smiles frequently and the impact is 'charming and powerful'. A master networker, Clinton would make everyone he met feel important, listening intently and, as he walked away, looking back with a wave and a smile.
In Borg's opinion, Brown is 'quite ineffective' with his presentation skills. He appears to have had some coaching, but the way he applies it appears unnatural. He'll often make a chopping action with his hands, symbolising the cutting off of opposing views. Tony Blair used to point a lot, but this conveys a kind of school master-ish telling off. By simply joining his thumb with the pointed finger, he changed that impression to one of emphasising an insightful point.
"Body language is the closest you'll ever get to genuine mind-reading," claims Borg. He warns us not to draw simplistic conclusions from individual gestures - we should instead look for 'clusters' of movements and use body language as just one of the many things that help us form what he describes as 'gut feeling'.
Read Borg on body language and look up Alan Pease too.
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