Harry Smith

His amiable manner on the CBS morning show and on Sunday Morning is pleasant and professional. But when he listens to fellow hosts and/or to guests, Smith has a habit of touching his face and splaying his fingers in front of his mouth – very distracting. It’s a habit that robs him of authority. It makes the viewer stop and wonder what is he hiding? Why is he doing that? Body language accounts for 55% of the message we send [38% is attributed to tone of voice and 7% to the spoken message]. If you speak up in a business meeting and cover your mouth with your hand, the body language reading will very likely be - you’re not sure of yourself. Touching your face, covering your mouth or fiddling of any kind should be
avoided by every speaker. The listener sees it as discomfort, nervousness, or lack of confidence.