As the deadline of April 10 and 24 approaches, the dates of the first and second round of the presidential election and because of Covid-19, the campaign seems to be played out a lot on TV sets, Télé-Loisirs has chosen to reveal beyond words and "small sentences", what the candidates reveal by their gestures and their attitudes. But we will also be interested in the interlocutors of the latter. It is often said that the body cannot hide what the verb deforms, represses, embellishes... So let's take a closer look! It is Stephen Bunard, specialist in non-verbal communication, either synergologist, speaker, consultant and author of "Your gestures say out loud what you think quietly" (SoBook) but also a speaking coach who agreed to decipher with us some sequences during expected debates. We begin with the program this Thursday, January 27 on C8, Face à Baba with Cyril Hanouna, whose guest was Jean-Luc Mélenchon, creator of the movement La France insoumise. The show was very well attended, especially the first part where the guest was facing Eric Zemmour, head of the Reconquest party. He was the only other candidate on the set. This first part of one hour brought together 1.8 million viewers or 8.9% audience share. This sequence caught our attention.

A stressful evening

Télé-Loisirs: What do you remember in general from the behavior of Jean-Luc Mélenchon in this evening?

Stephen Bunard: Stress. The first minutes when Jean-Luc Mélenchon exchanged humorously with Cyril Hanouna were relaxed. He wore frank smiles. But very quickly, facing Eric Zemmour instead of being in the position of the guest, he was in that of the opponent, of the one who grumbles, gets agitated, vociferates...

Besides the words, where have you seen the stress?

The attitudes were repeated throughout the exchange. The tongue sticking out, which is called "viper's tongue", is a sign of great tension. Very often, he also displayed an inverted smile, when the two corners of the lips fall downwards. It is the sign of rejection and deep contempt. Jean-Luc Mélenchon is familiar with his attitudes but during this exchange they were repeated many times, which reveals this powerful stress.

During the sequence on visas and borders, Jean-Luc Mélenchon gently turned to Cyril Hanouna…

Clearly, at this moment, he puts distance between himself and his interlocutor and displays a certain arrogance. Her body says it's hermetic about her.

Closing gestures

We have seen Jean-Luc Mélenchon nod a lot. How do you analyze it?

There are two things about yesterday's guest in the port de tête. When he shows his interlocutor the right side of his face, he is analyzing what is being said. But when he tilts his head, with his mouth inverted and his arms crossed, his face and his body indicate that he is in extreme vigilance, in a rigid attitude. His body is in a dynamic of closure.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon often has this attitude with his arms crossed...

Often, we say that it is an attitude of closure. It's true but not always. We must take the attitude of the body in general. Jean-Luc Mélenchon can simply sit down to listen better. But he can also, if his whole body accompanies this gesture, be the evocation of a real withdrawal in the exchange or even of hostility. This was the case yesterday. It is also a signal that he often sends, that of the commander's authority...

Yesterday also he, as often, pointed the finger while expressing himself with loud cries…

There, he was in the attitude of the crusade but accompanied by anger and formal notice. Mainly because his eyebrows were furrowed. He refused the conversation. And often the gesture that followed was the crossing of the arms… for him it was closed.

What conclusion do you draw from the behavior of Jean-Luc Mélenchon in Face à Baba ?

The attitudes of Jean-Luc Mélenchon are by nature quite readable. He has a double energy, that of Mr action for example with his arms raised, that of Mr opinion with attitudes of conviction yesterday these two energies showed their dark side. The tension took over.

Eric Zemmour stayed straight

What did you notice about Eric Zemmour's attitude?

He was very precise on all historical themes. His body said the same thing especially with the fingers of the right hand pinched and put forward.

And finally, did he keep his inner calm?

Yes, almost all the time: we see him with this gesture of hands crossing in front of him. It is the sign that one wants to bring together to convince the other. His body remained straight… this attitude could have annoyed his interlocutor Jean-Luc Mélenchon all the more.

And what about Cyril Hanouna?

He was quickly overwhelmed by the confrontation of the two men. We saw him plug his right ear when it started to rise between the two swordsmen, he has trouble "hearing", the tone bothered him at that time. At one point, the camera stopped on him as he scratched the left area of ​​his mustache. This gesture shows that at this moment, he does not manage to impose himself as an animator.