Dr Amir Helmer analyses Gadi Eisenkot's appearance at the President's Residence as he received the mandate to form a government: the eyes glued to the teleprompter, the sips of water, the visible discomfort. He would have preferred to skip this whole thing, says the body language specialist.
Gadi Eisenkot received the mandate to form a government from President Yitzchak Herzog on Sunday, in a formal ceremony at the President's Residence. But beyond the political messages he delivered, his performance in front of the cameras drew attention of its own.
Throughout the speech, Eisenkot barely lifted his eyes from the teleprompter from which he was reading. He struggled to look at the cameras, and at one point was filmed taking sips of water while continuing to read from the prompter.
Dr Amir Helmer, a body language specialist, spoke to Kikar HaShabbat about the Yesh chairman's appearance and pointed to his lack of skill in settings of this kind. According to Helmer, Eisenkot is not accustomed to standing in front of cameras or delivering speeches of this type.
Asked whether he would recommend a different approach to the reading, Helmer said he would suggest using paper notes, or at the very least ensuring that the teleprompter was not so large and conspicuous that everyone present could see it.
On the water sips and the nervousness visible during the speech, Helmer said it reflected pressure and tension, and also the fact that the setting is not natural for Eisenkot.
According to the expert, Eisenkot is more a man of action than a man of words: "He's more a man of work than a man of talking." In his assessment, Eisenkot would have preferred to skip the whole business of standing in front of cameras and delivering a speech, but protocol requires it. He added that with time, Eisenkot will learn to handle such settings better.
Helmer was then asked whether this was a matter of habit or a problem of professional guidance from Eisenkot's advisers. His answer was sharp: "A matter of habit. Either he has no advisers, or he has them and they're really bad. G-d help us. So it's not clear how he appears in this way."
Helmer added that Eisenkot must urgently change the way he delivers messages in speeches and statements, as well as his body language.
The remarks came after Eisenkot delivered a speech at the ceremony in which he called for the formation of a national emergency government, addressed the various parties, and declared that "my door is open and my hand is extended, with a full heart and a willing soul."
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