Jfk Interpersonal Communication Analysis

John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States over fifty years ago, but this came after he gave one of the greatest speeches of its time on September 26th 1960. The debate between these two men was the first presidential debate to be nationally televised in American History. The content of this debate not only decided who would be elected but it assisted with fostering a new age in which public image and ones exposure in the media became key elements to having a successful campaign for presidency and any other office in the nation. A positive public image, and the newfound exposure to the media became essential if a candidate was elected to be president, Kennedy’s charisma and on-camera personality were keys to

Most American’s don’t realize that the majority of interpersonal communication is non-verbal and very impactful. The power of non-verbal communication can make or break the message that is trying to be communicated. It goes far beyond the words that we are uttering, its about their hand-movements, eye contact, body movements, posture among many other things. It conveys the many intended and unintended messages that we try to portray to others so it is important to fully understand how to properly utilize this tactic. The significance of the Nixon-Kennedy debates ,other than being the first of its kind to be televised, was that in this point of time most people who gave live speeches only did so on radio and many candidates weren’t recognizable outside of their portrait. While being a very intelligent man, Nixon’s non-verbal communication did not match the content of his speech, he had a sordid demeanor about him and his facial expressions were stern. He did not come off as a welcoming presence to the American voters at home, while Kennedy was clearly the more television-ready personality. Nixon clearly was not properly prepared for this debate as he received backlash at the conclusion of it. My advice to Nixon would have been to first, note your posture to come off as more approachable. Secondly make eye contact and keep your eyes focused and steady. Thirdly, keep note of your facial expressions, as well as controlling any fidgeting. This could lead to a disconnection between what you are verbally saying and non-verbally portraying. If Nixon was properly prepared for the debate, he would have certainly had a better chance of winning the presidential election as being a productive, and positive non-verbal and verbal communicator can assist in achieving ones