The Ultimate Body Language Book

eceiving a D or F from twenty-three to twelve percent for an overall gain of eleven percent. The study
also suggests a lower probability of receiving an A and a higher probability for receiving a D or F for
those students forced from the middle aisle seats to the side aisle seats.
Therefore, when presenting information organized seating can have a subtle effect, but can be
somewhat limited in scope. If you wish to wow someone in particular, position them in the front as
you’ll be better able to connect with them. Those parties you wish to mute can be placed at the backsides
to reduce their ability to speak out. The data from research seems to suggest that audiences
naturally arrange themselves according to how interested they are to learn especially in theater style
auditoriums. Thus, this information can be used passively to choose the most qualified or interested
parties for important projects.
Other strategies come from the walk and talk method taken from lab style learning. Here, the instructor
is permitted to travel through rows and isle and connect with more than just the front row of listeners
eliminating the side effects of rows and columns. Orienting seating into a horseshoe also eliminates the
effects that rows and columns hold and so too does smaller group sizes. It’s much more difficult to be
forgotten in a small group and functionally impossible when speaking one on one!
Chapter 15 – Seating Arrangements
Summary – Chapter 15
Seating arrangements is one of the things we infrequently draw to conscious attention but at some level
always understand its importance. In this chapter we looked at what seems on the outset to be a
complicated matter, but in reality is fairly straight forward and like all body language, once it is know,
common sense. We found that seating positions can indicate our reason for meeting, be it ‘affiliation’ –
to build group cohesion, ‘achievement’ – to get things done, or ‘power’ – to emphasis control. We
found that the meeting organizer typically dictates how meetings will transpire.
We learned that Sommer first began researching seating ecology and that patterns emerged based on the
shape of the table and the proximity speakers had to one-another. We found that a casual corner
position where speakers meet across the corners of a rectangular or square table preserve closeness
between people, but still offers the security of a partial barrier. We found that when seated side-by-side
cooperation is fostered, when facing across from one-another but not head-on, independent though is
fostered, and when facing directly, competition. We found that leadership studies show us what we
intuitively already know, that leaders take up the head position, that those at his or her flank receive
trickle down leadership and that when seating is pre-determined, leadership is assigned to the head of
the table. We found that square tables includes both competitive and cooperative seating positions, that
circular tables had similar affects despite what King Arthur thought, and that strategically we can sway
our “object” by taking up competitive and affiliative positions.
Next we looking at how to set up an office and found that desk placement and office artifacts are
crucial and that chairs can make people uncomfortable or powerful depending on their height and
location. We then looked at seating arrangements in larger auditoriums and saw that the center of
lecture halls tended to be overlooked, and also how to use this to our advantage, and finally we
concluded the chapter by pointing out that seating location affects participation; those in front
participating most, but that it did not related to test scores.