5:59 v originále: How to Decipher a Politician? Joe Navarro Explains

Communication is the key to understanding and trust - and especially in politics. But how do we interpret the unspoken? According to the world-renowned expert on nonverbal communication, Joe Navarro, our bodies reveal the unspoken thoughts.

You can listen to a special episode of the podcast 5:59 in the audio player:

Words are not everything. This is especially true in politics. But luckily, we have another clue: body language. And with the rise of visual media, understanding it is becoming increasingly important.

„We still think that it's the words that matter, but in fact we know that impressions are made in the first few seconds,“ says Joe Navarro, expert on nonverbal communication and body language. A former FBI agent, who specialised in uncovering spies and dangerous criminals, he has spent decades studying nonverbal communication. Today he deciphers the behaviour of politicians for the public.

In an interview for the 5:59 podcast, Navarro explains that communication is a whole-body affair. „Our bodies communicate in real time what we feel. And it tends to be very accurate.“ So, according to the internationally bestselling author, what are the things we need to look out for when we want to reveal what's been left unsaid?

The answer is seemingly trivial - we need to look at everything. According to Joe Navarro, for example, wobbly legs can reveal that a person is experiencing negative feelings. And a whole other chapter is the performance of politicians in front of the cameras. The key is whether they express the appropriate emotions.

For a message to be credible, the content of the words must match the body language. „I want to see that consistency. And then I also want to see (and notice) when there's lack of commitment - when there's lack of strength and fortitude, when supposedly you're talking about something that's important,“ says Navarro who has analysed the behaviour of many world leaders in the past.

But nonverbal communication is also a tool that politicians can use to engage with the public. Navarro cites the popularity of the colour blue - you almost never see a politician without a dark blue suit and white shirt. People simply like the colour blue, which is attractive to both men and women and at the same time reassuring. Another „trick“ in politics is the constant smiling and pointing at the audience. The reason? „They're doing that so that they look friendly, that they look familiar,“ Navarro explains.

What are the most common myths about body language? How much attention should we pay to the gestures of world leaders? Do they carry more weight than their words, or is body language sometimes overrated in the media? And what does analysis of non-verbal communication tell us about the recent Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel?

Listen to the whole interview via the audio player at the top of the article.