Like many of you, I was glued to the television on Super Tuesday, watching the presidential primary returns. During the candidates’ speeches, my focus was drawn to a secondary player: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Granted, we don’t know what position Christie is angling for in a potential Donald Trump administration, but he’s not supporting him out of the goodness of his heart. He spoke highly of Trump during his introduction in Mar-a-Lago, Florida:
“The fight this fall is to make sure that a united Republican party and a united American people make sure that Hillary Rodham Clinton never gets back in the White House. Since June 16, when Mr. Trump declared his candidacy, he has shown himself to be tough and strong and bold.”
When Trump took the spotlight, Christie understandably stepped into the background. Christie’s bored, confused or downright angry facial expressions as Trump spoke made him the target of an onslaught of criticism.
Memes immediately surfaced asking why Christie was there— most notably was he angling to be Vice President or Attorney General, there for the free food or because he was lost. Ouch!
Regardless of whether you’re the one in the spotlight, you must present yourself like you’re on camera. That means you must look interested and engaged. At Spaeth, we call it the Listening Face: not quite a smile, but a lifted facial expression that says to the audience, “I like this person, I’m glad to be here.” Instead, many viewers commented that Christie looked like he had “sold his soul.”
Not only does this small yet noticeable skill help with likability, it also saves you from articles calling you a “stooge” or asking questions like, “Why hasn’t President Obama sent in the Navy Seals to rescue” you.
Rescue yourself and master the Listening Face.
You May Also Like
Today would have been the 40th president’s 104th birthday. There is growing recognition of President Reagan’s accomplishments, intellect, abilities and the role that his optimistic attitude played to encourage Americans to listen to and trust him. Another 40… more
There’s a new stage fright: 48 percent of people say they worry more about how they’ll look on a video conference than what they’ll talk about according to a Highfive/Zogby poll. The top four excuses for wiggling out… more
Another month of rich examples! We have BIMBOs from the self-described co-founder of the Satanic Temple, a Berkley administrator, Houston pastor Joel Osteen, a creepy London businessman and a county official from the Rio Grande Valley with an… more
