Nonverbal Behaviour in Parliamentary Hearings on Economic Policy1

Abstract

Abstract This chapter studies how parliamentarians, central bankers, and Treasury witnesses communicate in a deliberative setting, by gauging the extent to which nonverbal communication—in the form of facial expressions, vocal cues, and gestures—influences deliberation in two parliamentary select committee hearings. Comparisons are made between accountability hearings for monetary policy, financial stability, and fiscal policy, which lend insights into latent aspects of respect between and among Treasury ministers, central bankers and parliamentarians. The first part of the chapter systematically examines facial expressions, vocal cues and gestures, based upon a qualitative coding of a sample of the full set of hearings during the 2010–15 Parliament. The second part analyses findings from a laboratory experiment (with 120 participants), which sought to gauge the effect of nonverbal behaviour on perceptions of credibility, competence, and persuasiveness.