(Bk Business) Carol Kinsey Goman Ph.D.-The Nonverbal Advantage_ Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work -Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2008)

Chapter 7: You’re in My Space
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Intimate zone (0 to 18 inches) This zone
is reserved for family and loved ones. Within
this zone we embrace, touch, and whisper.
This close contact is appropriate only for
very personal relationships.
Close personal zone (1½ to 2 feet) This is
the bubble most people in the United States
like to keep around us. This zone is used for
interactions among friends or familiar and
trusted business partners.
Far personal zone (2 to 4 feet) This zone
is for interactions we prefer to conduct at
arm’s length. In this zone we can communicate
interest without the commitment of
touching.
Social zone (4 to 12 feet) The social zone
is most appropriate for the majority of daily
business interactions. It is where we interact
with new business acquaintances or at more
formal social affairs.
Public zone (more than 12 feet) This
zone is mostly used for public speaking.
All these zones are, of course, invisible to us and to others,
but that doesn’t make them any less real. Few of us are comfortable
in a crowded subway train or elevator, where we are