Week 1: Introduction

After closely following the 2016 election and regularly watching the presidential debates, I became intrigued by the political system and how candidates present themselves. In an effort to become more familiar with politics, I chose to study presidential debates and how unspoken attitudes are manifested through a candidates' body language. After speaking to my advisor, I decided that the most appropriate form of debate would be the Town Hall Format as, in these debates, candidates are able to move around, engage with the audience, and are the least rehearsed. These factors enable body language to be presented more natural and be easily analyzed.

Also, body language is often scrutinized for negotiating interpersonal attitudes and deemed 5 times as impactful as verbal speech, so studying such communication can provide insight on how a specific candidate is perceived or feeling. In addition, Body language is insightful as it can expose discrepancies between what a candidate is saying and what he/she actually means. After reading The Definitive Book of Body Language by Barbara and Allan Pease, I became more familiar with the typical forms of body language and common meanings prescribed to them.

To complete this project, I will conduct internet and library research regarding gestures, posture, and other forms of body language. I will perform academic research by studying articles relating to the factors that affect not only nonverbal communication, but also overall performance in the debates. Further, I will examine previous studies of scholars on body language and debates, and analyze their findings regarding why candidates “win” a debate. After forming some sort of criteria/guideline to assess the candidates’ body language off of, I will watch all the Town hall debates from 1992-2016 and look for patterns that emerge regarding body language. Finally, I will analyze the effectiveness of the candidates’ body language by comparing my results to post debate polling results.Presidential debates provide voters with insight on the ethics, performance, and