The final category of non-verbal communication where President Obama stands out is in his facial gestures.  Most notably, his brilliant smile.  Studies have been done that show that people prefer more attractive speakers to less attractive speakers.  When I used to tell my public speaking students that, several would always raise their hands and say, “Dr. Morgan, we can’t help how we look.  What if we’re ugly?” 

I was always ready for that response, because there’s another study (and a whole lot of common sense) that says that people rate smiling faces as more attractive generally than non-smiling faces. 

So smile. You’ll be better looking, and better received as a speaker.  If you’ve got a megawatt smile like Obama’s, so much the better. 

The other facial gestures that work well for public speakers are three universally understood ones:  opening the eyes, raising the eyebrows, and nodding the head.  We open our eyes when we’re interested in something or someone.  We raise our eyebrows when we’re surprised, or we’re expecting a response – so it’s a gesture that draws audiences in.  And we nod in agreement, and to build agreement. 

President Obama uses each of these gestures, but in particular he is a great ‘nodder’.  Watch any speech of his, and you will see him nod at the ends of phrases and sentences.  This has the effect of affirming through body language what his content is saying.  It’s one reason why we find him so convincing as a speaker and President.  

These facial gestures are largely controlled by the unconscious part of our brain that controls intent, emotion, and attitude.  I talk a lot more about this in my new book, Trust Me:  Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma, but the gist of it is that you will have better results by focusing on your attitude, your intent, and your emotion than the physical act of smiling.  The smile will look real if it comes from your intent.  It is much harder to fake a real smile, because a real smile activates muscles all over the face, especially around the eyes, and when we try to smile mechanically, without the feeling, we tend to only activate the mouth.  The result looks insincere. 

Instead, find a real smile and study Obama’s facial gestures.  It’s only part of what makes him so authentic and charismatic, but it’s an important part.