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

126 The Nonverbal Advantage
I often speak in front of audiences in theater-style,
straight-row seating. But when the meeting planner gives me
a choice (and when the audience is small enough—say, less
than three hundred—to accommodate it), I always request
round tables of six to eight people. Here’s why: I like a lot of
audience interaction. In straight-row seating, the location of
participants is a major factor in determining how individuals
respond and how involved they are. (Research shows that, in
such an arrangement, participant interaction is greatest in the
front and middle rows, regardless of whether the seating is
imposed or self-selected.) With tables, I can encourage smallgroup
discussions and then take a wireless microphone into
the audience and get reactions from anywhere in the room.
TRY THIS
If your objective for a meeting is to stimulate teamwork, find a
round table, where everyone can sit in a circle. This arrangement
sends a nonverbal signal of equality and facilitates communication
among participants. The legendary King Arthur understood the
power of this arrangement when he chose a round table for his
knights. That way no one had higher status than anyone else.
Objects as Barriers
Another way that people use space to send nonverbal messages
is to fill it with things they can hide behind. People
often use objects as barriers when they are uncomfortable
with what is being said, when they feel they are being coerced,
or when they otherwise feel the need for protection.
Norma, a manager I was coaching, used to hide from my
critique by creating a physical barrier between the two of us.
She was quite relaxed and open so long as my comments
about her leadership skills were positive, but whenever I
discussed an area that needed improvement, Norma would