The Ultimate Body Language Book

are already a part of your team and the two of you are facing off against another party.
A second orientation happens when collaborating on a project. Here, the chairs will (and should) be
turned at forty-five degrees toward each other. This arrangement represents intimacy since there is no
barrier to interfere with the sharing of information. Working on a common goal, a project or
presentation are a few examples of when it’s best to use this arrangement. Intimate couples will also
choose this position at restaurants except where moving the chairs about is not permitted. Other couples
fail to see this and instead choose competitive arrangements as if they are on job interviews, or are
facing off against each other in twenty questions!
There are times when sitting on the same side of the table can appear too intimate, as if invading
someone else’s space. One can begin by taking up positions across the table and then finding an excuse
to pass documents across it. After some time, moving to the other side of the table and sitting down to
clarify the information provides enough of a reason to bridge the gap between people and being
fostering intimacy.