The role of nonverbal communication in influencing voting preference : spotlight on two Maltese Labour Prime Ministers

Abstract

What one says, how one sounds, one’s appearance and body language account for 7%, 38% and 55% respectively of one’s personal communication (Belludi, 2008, para. 3). Belludi was quoting Prof. Albert Mehrabian, a nonverbal communication pioneer researcher. Bearing these intriguing percentages in mind, this study presents a snapshot of the way Labour Prime Ministers Dom Mintoff and Joseph Muscat cranked up their popularity and influenced the electorate through the dynamic boost of nonverbal communication. This research was tackled qualitatively by means of four semi-structured interviews carried out between February and March 2020. The most meaningful and insightful comments from these interviews were analysed thematically. As regards Mintoff, the results suggest that his rip-roaring public routine won him electoral support and admiration. His sartorial style, his manner of speaking and theatrical gestures helped his message to travel the extra mile. But when the moment called for another mode of behaviour, Mintoff was spot on laying bare his charming Oxford English side. Perhaps, incredibly, his sartorial unpredictability went hand in hand with his outstanding negotiating skills. With the passage of time, the Maltese started aspiring to partake of a more luxurious life as consumers. Moreover, the Labour Party’s staunch stance against EU membership led to its downfall. In his first public appearance as the new Labour Party leader, Muscat pledged what appeared to be his cast-iron battle cry “to carry out various reforms so that the party can live up to the country’s environmental, economic and social aspirations” (Zahra as cited in Briguglio, 2010, p. 223). Such upward mobility was embodied in Muscat’s smart, top-brand wardrobe suggesting that people aspire to greater things by refining their public persona. The author concludes this study by listing suggestions for future research on the incredible force that nonverbal communication harbours to change public opinion.