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Grading the First Presidential Debate

Experts Analyze Body Language and Speech Patterns in the First Debate

By Sherry Rauh
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Sept. 27, 2008 -- If you watched the first presidential debate between Republican nominee Sen. John McCain and Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama, you probably have your own opinion of who won. Maybe you even graded the candidates with WebMD's Debate Scorecard. Now you can compare your take on the use of body language in the first debate with that of the pros.

WebMD turned once again to the speech and body language experts who helped construct the scorecard. The experts, who are not affiliated with either presidential campaign, are:

Debate Coach: Kellie Roberts, head coach of the University of Florida's Speech and Debate Team.
Media Coach: Tim Koegel, author of The Exceptional Presenter.
Executive Coach: Carol Kinsey Goman, PhD, author of The Nonverbal Advantage: Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work.

Debate Scorecard

After watching the first presidential debate, the experts gave each candidate a score of 1 to 5 in the following categories, with 5 representing the best performance.

1. Message: Did the candidates get their messages across clearly and concisely?

Roberts: McCain - 4 Obama - 4
Koegel: McCain - 4 Obama - 3
Goman:McCain - 4 Obama - 3
Average: McCain - 4 Obama - 3.3

"[McCain] was more definitive on the message," Koegel tells WebMD. He gave more specifics ... and did a better job of intertwining stories and examples."

"McCain had more stories," Goman agrees, and that's what people remember "more than anything else." The Republican nominee also had better sound bites, she says. But both candidates "lacked details, particularly on the economy."

2. Speech Pattern: Did the candidates sound conversational without awkward pauses?

Roberts: McCain - 4 Obama - 3
Koegel: McCain - 3.5 Obama - 3.5
Goman:McCain - 4 Obama - 4
Average: McCain - 3.8 Obama - 3.5

"[McCain] jumped in quickly," Roberts tells WebMD. "There was no hemming and hawing, no distinct pauses where he had to think about what he wanted to say." Obama, Roberts says, tended to "um" at the start of his answers until he built up some momentum.

3. Tone of Voice: Did the candidates sound confident, but not arrogant or angry?

Roberts: McCain - 3 Obama - 4
Koegel: McCain - 5 Obama - 5
Goman:McCain - 2 Obama - 4
Average: McCain - 3.3 Obama - 4.3

"McCain had the most problems, because he often sounded condescending or scolding," Goman tells WebMD. "Seven times, McCain said Obama just doesn't get it or doesn't understand. One or two times might have been effective, but seven was over the top."

Roberts agrees. "McCain sounded somewhat aggressive," she says, while Obama's tone "sent a message that he was in command, comfortable and relaxed." She added that Obama could have conveyed a little more emotion.

But Koegel says both candidates "were right where they needed to be. Had they exceeded the energy and passion level of last night," it might have been too much.