Debate body language: Decoding Trump and Clinton's unspoken messages

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When Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump squared off in their highly-anticipated first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY on Monday night, the two candidates discussed a wide range of topics including trade deals, race relations, terrorism, taxation and job creation.

Potential voters had the opportunity to listen, analyze and watch every move the candidates made during the televised event, as Trump and Clinton submitted to the scrutiny in the old adage: it’s not what you say but how you say it. Body language expert and president of the communication training company Truthplane, Mark Bowden, dissected the candidates’ debate performances for CTV’s Your Morning on Tuesday.

WATCH: The first U.S. presidential debate in its entirety

The Handshake

Bowden believes that Trump had the advantage over Clinton during the opening handshake because he was walking in from the left side of the stage. Trump’s right arm appears larger than Clinton’s because it was in the foreground. However, Bowden thinks that Clinton won the handshake because she managed to extend her hand out longer and push it into Trump so he would have to bring his own arm in. Bowden said Clinton’s manoeuvre made it appear that she was stronger and in control.

“There’s kind of a folklore that says, if you win the handshake at the start, you’ve won the debate,” he said.

Trump’s Gesticulations

Bowden said Trump has a repertoire of classic hand gestures he resorts to when he’s speaking in front of an audience. During the debate, Trump utilized his “A-OK”, “OK-L” and his “accordion” gestures to underscore his message, according to Bowden. The “OK-L” is when Trump makes the letter L shape with his index finger and thumb on opposing hands. The “accordion” gesture is when he moves his arms back and forth with his palms facing each other, evoking mechanical monkeys crashing symbols.

“He’s well branded,” Bowden said. “He keeps on doing the same gestures again and again and again.”

Bowden suggested that the signature hand movements demonstrate Trump’s aggressive demeanour and his “larger-than-life persona”.

Clinton’s Shimmy

Part way through the debate, Trump argued that he had a much better temperament than Clinton. She reacted to the comment by smiling and saying, “Whoo! OK” before closing her eyes and shimmy shaking her shoulders back and forth a number of times. Besides inspiring endless parody gifs online, Bowden said that this uncharacteristic gesture was almost animalistic, in the sense that it looked like she was “peacocking” and puffing out her chest in a gloating manner.

“It’s showing that she’s strong and that she’s maybe ruffled his (Trump’s) feathers. He’s out of control now,” Bowden said.

Trump’s Sniffling

Dr. Lillian Glass, an author and body language expert, told CTV News Channel on Tuesday that Trump seemed more nervous than he’s ever looked before during the beginning of the debate. According to Glass, Trump’s frequent sniffling throughout the event was a symptom of his autonomic nervous system taking over.

“The body doesn’t lie,” she said. “You could see that this was not his (Trump’s) game initially.”

Clinton’s Grin

Bowden said that Clinton gave off a very positive image because she frequently smiled and her gestures were often in an upward motion. However, he said there were times when Trump’s remarks made Clinton’s big smile disappear. It was obvious, Bowden said, that she was trying to hold back the anger he was inciting in her. Bowden thinks that Clinton probably practised smiling before the debate, and it paid off.

Glass, on the other hand, didn't believe Clinton’s smiling worked for her. Glass said that Clinton shouldn’t have been smiling after Trump made negative comments to her.

“It was smug,” she said. “It wasn’t real. It was phony. That’s what Hillary has been accused of being for so long and this didn’t help her.”

Trump’s Fidgeting

When Clinton drilled Trump about releasing his tax returns, Bowden said his body language made it appear he was rattled by the exchange. According to Bowden, Trump fidgeted with his microphone when it didn’t need adjusting and his hand shook when he took a sip from his water glass. Bowden explained that these types of actions are all about adapting to the environment to become more comfortable.

“He (Trump) doesn’t need to adjust the mic. He doesn’t need to have that water,” Bowden said. “He’s just trying to control something in the environment.”