New debate format requires different approach by Clinton, Trump Posted on October 7, 2016 0 ADA — A new format will require new strategies when presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump square off on Sunday in St. Louis, according to Ohio Northern University Associate Professor of Communication Studies Jennifer Walton, Ph.D., an expert in political communications. “This time, it is a town hall format, which changes everything. Instead of a moderator, people in the audience will be asking questions, which makes it more unpredictable and more difficult to prepare for,” Walton said. As compared to a traditional debate, the town hall setting places as much emphasis on how the candidates reply as what they say, in many ways. “The non-verbal approach is just as important as what you are saying in a town hall debate. It is important to show interest and compassion. You want to make the questioner feel you are paying attention to his/her concerns and directly answering the question.” This type of format plays more to Clinton’s assets than to those of Trump, Walton said. “This is Hillary’s strength. While she is not seen as being emphatic in larger settings, people who meet her in person are sold on her. In many ways, she has the same instincts as her husband, Bill, in terms of how to relate to people.” “Trump, on the other hand, will have to look into the faces of the people in the audience if he talks about some of his more controversial topics, such as the immigration wall and his taxes, which could be problematic,” Walton said. “He does not do well with criticism. Then again, he has been a boss for 40 years, and I do not think he has been told ‘no’ very often. He is known to be impatient and antsy, which may not come across well.” In some ways, things could get more interesting than they were in the first debate Sept. 26, which Clinton is roundly regarded to have won. “This debate could actually get uglier in terms of their going after each other,” Walton said. Her advice for Trump is to prepare better for this outing. “I would have him stage some mock town halls and get used to impromptu answers. With voters posing them, you have no idea what questions will arise. He also needs to have better answers about his plans. So far, he has mainly talked about what he does not like.” For Clinton, Walton’s advice is much more simple. “She needs to keep on doing what she is doing. I am sure she is again preparing and, as with Trump, she needs to stage mock debates and anticipate the unpredictable.”