What Obama and Bush said without knowing it

Tue Nov 11, 12:09 pm ET

Featured Topics: Barack Obama, Presidential Transition

When President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama met for the first time in
front of the White House, they didn’t
take questions from reporters. But as
far as body-language experts were
concerned, the two men said
volumes.

"Physically, [Obama] was definitely

in charge there," says Allan Pease,
author of "The Definitive Book of
Body Language." Obama grabbed
Bush’s upper arm during their, which
is a "control gesture."

"President-elect Obama has his head US President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Michelle Obama
raised to make eye contact with the and President-elect Barack Obama stand outside the White House.
Obama has met Bush for face-to-face talks at the White House, with
president," signaling "I am equal in help for the ailing US auto industry reportedly a top issue.
status," according to Susan K.
Abrams, a corporate and political image consultant at www.politicalicon.com.

Via email, Abrams said Obama showed a readiness to engage with the president, while
Bush’s initial stance suggested he was being territorial.

"The president stands his ground and

firmly positions his feet in a stance
that suggests 'this is my territory' and
extends his hand (leans slightly
forward) to shake hands but only so
far, which requires President-elect
Obama to reach forward and move
forward to accept greeting."

But Abrams says, as a whole, the

gestures between Obama and Bush
communicate "the civility of the
relationship at this point."
So, was all of this body language
subconscious? Yes and no, says
Pease.

Some of it is the natural way in which

Obama and Bush interact. But Pease President and Mrs. Bush greet President-elect Obama and Michelle
suspects at least part of the White Obama at the White House in Washington , Monday, Nov. 10, 2008.

House meeting was carefully choreographed.

"They had the same suit and the same tie and shirt ... I mean, identical," Pease says, adding
that it probably was not a coincidence.

"To create an atmosphere of unity ...

you would dress the guys the same
and get them to look the same and
move the same way, which is what
they did when they moved through
the West Wing."

But psychologist Jana N. Martin

cautions against reading too much
into actions alone. Martin conducts
training on verbal and nonverbal
communication.
President Bush and President-elect Obama walk along the
While there’s no question image West Wing Colonnade of the White House in Washington,
Monday, Nov. 10, 2008, prior to their meeting in the Oval
experts are employed to refine body Office.
language and nonverbal messages,
"communication comes as a package," Martin says. "Just like I wouldn’t judge someone
solely on their words, I’m not going to judge someone solely on their body language."

For Martin, it’s all about context. Judging someone’s body-language clues is most accurate
when evaluated in combination with what the person is saying.

Nevertheless, our experts had some words of advice, in case you want to make a good
impression without saying a word.

"Eye contact is really important. There have been a lot of studies done of people who are
dishonest or tell lies – they often avert their gaze to one side or another," says Martin.

She also advises coming close to the person you are greeting (but not so close that you invade
their personal space), nodding your head as an affirmative gesture, and offering a genuine
smile. But a word of caution: "A fake smile is worse than no smile at all."

Pease suggests keeping your body open, with palms out and arms uncrossed. And when
shaking hands, keep your palms straight and only apply the same amount of pressure as the
other person.

Of course, only Obama and Bush can say whether their handshake shared the same amount of
pressure. But now that you’re armed with all this body-language insight, why not take another
look at the video and evaluate their encounter for yourself?
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