i'll presume the author also determined Obama won the first debate then too, based on the asserted criteria above.

what a load of tosh.

For someone that apparently studies charisma, rapport, and professionalism - and claims that Biden lost on these grounds - you sure have done an excellent job of ignoring the majority reaction that biden won on each of those grounds. Maybe your 'CPR mode'l needs to be recalibrated.

I am told that 80% of our communication, is nonverbal.

But to claim that Biden lost because he smiled is as a politician would say... 'Liberal with the facts'.

Are we condemned to the future where a 'debate' is a nonsensical sing song of melodic syllables because it contracts the facial muscles in the most appealing grimace?

If this idea fills you with dread, condemn bloggs like this as they contribute to this slide.

Biden positively stormed over Ryan whose response for sold information was repeatedly a personal anecdote...

In no small part because the gaggle of 'experts' such as
Mr Thompson on Ryans staff downloaded into him that personal anectode build rapport over factual response.

Seriously, the shoulers of the gians are shuddering in fear.

Thanks, Jeff, for the useful analysis. Of course one person's meat is another person's poison. Biden's smiling did concern me at first (would it be read as disrespectful and, if so, is it proper to disrespect an opponent who is twisting the facts and misstating the record?) As the debate went on, however, I was totally with Biden (and, though a Dem, was NOT with Obama so I am capable of critical comment about my own party). What I got from Biden was his inability to be inauthentic, his passion for his vision of America and his disdain for the people who would serve their religion before their country and promote monied interests over the welfare of the people. So, Biden won it for me. Still, always useful to know what physical mannerisms hurt the message we're trying to send. Thanks for educating all of us.

Let me be straightforward, as a piece of opinion, it's ok, but as an analysis, it lacks. Without referring to the many mistakes your opinion have, and the holes in your theory, you confound your own subjectivity, with the subjectivity of all viewers, while not analysing this critically and make no intent on also understand who are the target of communication of Biden, which are not PHD candidates in Australia. What for you is lack of professionalism, for other cultures might strike as authenticity, think for example of the latin americans (that typically decide these elections in Florida), where display of emotions are not as harshly viewed as anglo cultures.

Three season of "Lie to Me" and putting up with Tim Roth, I think most educated and working professionals are aware of body language. Centrelink job providers even teach it for use during interview techniques.
What I find interesting about this article is that the author does not at any point discuss how many of the non verbal reactions may have been scripted, rehearsed.

Like lawyers practice closing arguments, Biden would have been going through the debate topics with his media team for months. On the closing of Obama's debate these advisers would have fine tuned the style that Biden should adopt.

Now there is no doubt that some responses are impossible to fake, but you don't have to be a good actor to fidget, laugh, constantly interrupt. Biden is a very experienced and intelligent debater. Certainly skilled enough to be able to use some annoying style techniques to try to throw off the opposition.

Therefore Mr. Thompson if you can go back into that debate and tell me which of the body language non verbal signals were genuine and which were faked then I would be extremely impressed.

I was hoping for some empirical evidence for why laughing, moving and throwing up your hands in a political debate goes over poorly with voters, but there was nothing! As far as I can tell from your Psychology Today page, that's a model for physicians dealing with patients, not politicians. Now, maybe it can be applied to both - but you don't even try to argue that, you just assume it. Nor do you try to argue from evidence that wearing ill-fitting suits (as Ryan did) and interrupting (as both did) actually influences the audience's response. If your CPR model has evidence behind it, show us it! Post-debate polls suggest that it was seen either as a draw or a Biden win.

As for suggesting that Americans ruled against Biden when he was audibly frustrated by Ryan's false accusation that unemployment is rising (seen in the first video)... Come on! The American people may be stupid, but they are not that stupid.

Really? Not "Ryan keeps lying and loses the VP debate?"

Whoever wrote this drivel can clean up the RNC floors on election night.
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