Body language tells all at Manitoba leaders' debate: experts

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'stelevised debateare 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 partit was all in the movement of hands, but then there was eye contact and tone of voicewhich 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 Pallisterseemed a little agitated and attempted to veil that with an overconfidence.

"Myfirst 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," Sowdensaid.

"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 Kinewis 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 addedhe 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 insynergology(a form of communication based on the nonverbal 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 partywants to create.

"He was not that sure of that," she said.

However, Kinewwaspassionate 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 mostclearly passionate about waspreventing 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."

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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 isstill 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:

Manitoba leaders debate 2019

5 years ago

Duration 50:02

Manitobans vote for their next provincial government on Sept. 10. The leaders of the province's four main political parties squared off in a live televised debate on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.

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