The Non-Verbal Communication of Santiago Abascal, President of VOX

Abstract

This article analyzes Santiago Abascal’s non-verbal communication, exploring the development of his communication skills, thus adding to heretofore limited research on non-verbal expression and political communication by providing empirical evidence from the field. Content analysis has been carried out on the basis of a quantitative systematization of non-verbal communication, encompassing kinesic, prosodic and proxemic aspects. The corpus of study comprises 24 audiovisual documents, representative examples of Abascal’s public communication actions between the years 2014 and 2021, to which a tailormade frame of reference has been applied. Our findings show that Abascal’s communication skills have progressed and improved during that time period, and may now be defined as evincing notable intra-systemic and inter-systemic coherence in verbal, kinesic and paralinguistic language, which enables more effective and persuasive communication; a clear, precise and constant gestural style that amplifies the persuasive impact of his discourse; the use of consistent expressive signals interpreted by his audience as markers of credibility; and a mode of non-verbal expression that is emphatic and vehement, which underpins the meaning of the message, enables emotional connection, and fosters effective communication as a form of spectacle. The conclusion drawn here is that the Abascal’s development in expressive communication may be one contributing factor, among others, that has led to the rise of his political party, VOX.