Pay attention to nonverbal cues

Body language is a pronounced indication of who the speakers really are.

As the presidential candidates took the stage Sept. 10, Donald Trump gingerly approached his podium, while Kamala Harris picked up her pace and crossed over to her opponent, extending her hand politely. She radiated a sign of unity and seemed eager to begin as she walked back to her lectern with a grin.

As Harris got the first question, she gulped, showing she was nervous. Trump looked relaxed. While she spoke, Trump looked straight ahead, as if he were indifferent, showing disdain, or maybe afraid to look at her.

Harris looked right at Trump as she spoke. She gestured toward him when she addressed him and looked him in the eye. She looked at the camera as she spoke to the American people. Trump looked straight ahead most of the time.

Trump makes a face when he hears something he doesn’t like. It was readily apparent when he heard that many of his former staff no longer support him.

When Trump made the unfounded claim about immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, Harris laughed at him. If something is so preposterous, laughter is the only response.

The lasting takeaway was the image of Harris with her hand on her chin, indicating that she thought that what Trump was saying was appalling. She made her views known directly and vigorously while looking Trump in the eye. That is how a good leader deals with other leaders in the world.