Nick Clegg
His biggest skill is his ability to pace, reflect the feelings of the majority of the people – he uses language we can understand and he delivers what he has to say with utter conviction – you believe him. He is more animated than the other two candidates, uses bigger gestures and appears more natural/less rehearsed. He uses lots of light and shade in his voice so he ‘sounds’ interesting and he uses highly emotive language that is designed to elicit an emotional reaction:
“The style of old politics”
“Shadows of our economy, shadows of our society”
“In tears”
“Get real”
He talks in a bigger picture, more abstract way that cleverly gains agreement because the more detailed you are (Such as Gordon Brown) the more likely you are to create disagreement.
Nick Clegg is selling ‘utopia’ and he uses his position as middle-man to explain to the viewers what David Cameron and Gordon Brown are really saying so he positions himself as one of us.
His relaxed hand-in-pocket posture exudes he is relaxed and not phoney.
As the debate progressed his lack of experience and naïve views were highlighted yet he was absolutely performing at his peak for 80% of the debate.
Gordon Brown
He is very detailed which demonstrates how smart he is, yet I believe this goes over the heads of most of the viewers. His whole approach was about linking fear and panic to the other parties. “Let us not make a mistake” He was aggressive and very attacking of Cameron – he kept repeating his point about inheritance tax regardless of its relevance to the initial question. This is a clever way to reinforce a point – repetition is used in every advertising campaign. He looks but doesn’t see because he is so caught up in the content of his thoughts so he doesn’t ‘connect with the viewer –
His best moment was his response to the banker’s bonus question when he appeared utterly credible. There was a moment when he was talking about his mother and he softened – if he could show more of this side of him he would be so much more appealing.
Looks rigid, old school, like a man struggling – his words were negative.
David Cameron
Appeared more nervous than the other two as evidenced by his rate of blinking and when he is nervous he appears ‘stiffer’. Yet as the debate progressed he relaxed and his performance steadily improved. His pace was measured and he looked unflustered and in control especially impressive given the amount of attacks he received from Gordon Brown. He appeared reasonable and knowledgeable – the only small mistake he made was when he referred to “the questioner” he could have used their name. Solid assured performance not as dynamic as Nick Clegg yet built credibility as debate progressed.
Ties
Did you notice their ties? David Cameron was wearing his usual blue coloured tie yet Gordon Brown’s was purple with white spots? An attempt to visually show he was trendy and contemporary perhaps. Nick Clegg’s tie was orange – what do you get if you mix red and yellow? Was he unconsciously conveying his preference of party alliance?