The Subtle Ways Candidates Look Spontaneous (Or Fail To) During Debates

When we go to a play on Broadway, we expect to see a great performance. We want the stars to be well-rehearsed. But when we watch political debates, we usually have the opposite expectation. We want our candidates to seem more candid than canned—spontaneous, not staged.

In the two most recent debates, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and Marco Rubio each worked a few subtle patterns into their performances in order to appear more spontaneous—some more frequently than others. Here are two of those habits to look for in tonight's debate (and later on the campaign trail) as the presidential contenders do their best to seem polished yet authentic.

Read the rest of my article here.