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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Daniel Smith

Liz Truss speech 'lacked passion and empathy' according to language expert

A body language expert has thrown cold water on Prime Minister Liz Truss's speech to the Tory conference, saying she 'lacked passion and empathy'. Darren Stanton, dubbed the 'Human Lie Detector', says her display was 'poor' and that some of the audience appeared to be left shaking their heads.

Mr Stanton is a former police officer with a degree in psychology and has used his expertise to uncover the truth when interviewing hundreds of suspects. He has also analysed heightened political situations including General Election debates and key interviews with the likes of Dominic Cummings.

His analysis, on behalf of gambling website OLBG, revealed that the PM was trying to come across as a powerful leader but didn't always succeed. According to OLBG, the odds on Ms Truss leaving her post this year is 7/2, next year 5/4, in 2024 11/4, and in 2025 or later 9/2.

Darren Stanton said: “Liz Truss has to please three separate groups: the Tory party, the general public and the markets. To do so would be an incredible feat for any seasoned politician.

“Truss’ delivery of her speech lacked passion and empathy, which made it clear she was reading from an autocue. The Prime Minister’s hand gestures were not in conjunction with what she was saying verbally, this occurs when there is a disconnect between being impassioned and merely repeating what is written down.

“Truss’ go-to hand gesture is spreading out her fingers, which is an attempted power gesture. In human nature, the more space we occupy, the more powerfully we are potentially perceived.

Liz Truss delivers her keynote speech at the Conservative Party annual conference (PA)

“The speech seems lacklustre, her flow was also interrupted by two protesters, who were swiftly curtailed by security. This seemed to rouse the audience, a far less sceptical person than I might think that was a staged interruption, because the protesters were laughing to the cameras.

“At times, the Prime Minister attempted to make a powerful point which should’ve ended in a crescendo of applause, however, it fell flat and the applause came out of sync. She didn’t really address the key points that the three groups needed to be reassured on. I also noticed a number of audience members shaking their heads.

“Overall, it was a poor performance, disjointed and there was out-of-sync body language, which conveyed the non-verbal meaning that these points were not coming from an impassioned place. I believe she will receive a lot of criticism for not addressing people's real concerns.”

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