Communication professor says appearance and presentation are important to voters By Alana N. Seifi, Staff WriterWhether it’s President Bush’s smirks or Sen. John Kerry’s height,body language and speech patterns may have an even greater impressionon viewers than the words said by the candidates.

“People want a president who is going to represent the things theybelieve in, but they also want the personal qualities,” said PeterAndersen, communication professor at San Diego State and author ofThe Complete Idiot’s Guide to Body Language.

Both Bush and Kerry have negative and positive characteristics asfar as body language, Andersen said.

Although Kerry does have a height advantage, both candidates aretall, fit and square-shouldered.

“We tend to select people just like ancient people in the tribes:broad-shouldered, tall and narrow-waisted,” Andersen said.

Throughout history the taller candidate has always prevailed inpresidential elections, he said.

A candidate’s facial expressions are also important incommunicating with the audience, he said. Andersen said Kerry’s bodylanguage and performance turns some voters off.

“He’s not very expressive in the face, so he doesn’t come acrossas very warm or approachable,” he said.

Kerry’s well-educated demeanor and accent could seem a bit elitistand stuffy, he said. Bush is socially attractive and doesn’t have thestuffiness Kerry has.

“Bush seems to try to project the image of an opinionated guyarguing with you in the barber shop,” said linguistics professorThomas Donahue.”By this token, Kerry seems a throwback to atime when leaders tried to sound authoritative and well-informed.”

Andersen said Bush has kind of a cross-eyed look that makes himappear confused and Kerry has a lantern jaw that some people don’tlike very much. He looks very warm when he smiles, but a littledroopy-faced when he doesn’t.

Viewers associate hand gestures with power, Andersen said.

“Kerry uses his hands to gesture, while Bush does not use handgestures very effectively,” he said.

Clothing and hair can also illuminate the presidential image, hesaid. In order to appear credible and leader-like, presidentialcandidates typically wear borderline dark suits with a bold-coloredtie.

The fact both candidates have hair works to their advantage, sincewe tend to attribute negative things to baldness, he said.

Andersen said Kerry’s hair was cultivated during the primaries tolook like John F. Kennedy’s hairstyle.

A speaker’s tone of voice, pitch pattern and syntax can alsoaffect the way the audience evaluates a candidate.

Donahue said Kerry had forcefully-assertive pitch patterns in thefirst presidential debate.

“Bush had reactive – at times apologetic-sounding and attimes impatient – pitch patterns,” he said. “It made him soundas if he were on the defensive.

“The object is to use language in a way that persuades an audiencethat the speaker is well-educated, well-prepared, honest and worthyof the audience’s confidence and trust.”

Typically, standard English grammar and diction help a speakersound authoritative and win the confidence and assent of theaudience, Donahue said.

There are certain phrases the candidates use to help persuadetheir audience. Kerry uses the repetitions of the adjective “wrong”and Bush repeats phrases from his stump speeches, Donahue said.

Language conveys thought and can have various effects on aparticular audience, linguistics professor Zev bar-Lev said.

“Bush’s mangling of English is a bigger turn-off to those whoadmire intellectualism, whereas Kerry’s intellectual style may turnoff more ordinary folk,” he said.

Physical therapy sophomore Amy Schafer said the body language ofBush and Kerry affect her judgement of the candidates.

“What Kerry says and how he says it seems more compassionate, inmy opinion,” she said. “The way Bush hesitates to say thingssometimes makes me think that he’s doubting and not sincere aboutit.”

When she saw the debates, she decided to vote for Kerry because ofthe way he presented himself, she said.

Kerry prefers “nuance” language that sees every problem from 57viewpoints, bar-Lev said. Bush goes for direct and powerful ideas,which pleases ordinary people.

“Bush’s fans would like him to be a bit smoother and Kerry’s fanswould prefer him to contradict himself less,” he said.

Candidates are always “selling” themselves as packages and votersultimately choose a president based on his or her ideas, speakingability, background, personality and everything else that he or sheis, bar-Lev said.

Biology sophomore Brendan McWatters said he will be voting forBush because he feels the President should finish what he started inIraq.

“If he stumbles on his words every once in a while, it doesn’treally matter that much to me,” he said. “People like to make fun ofit and turn it into something bigger than it is.

“It’s always better to pick someone by the issues rather than howthey present their views through their speeches.”