Body language - Distance zones

Body language - Distance zones

The body has its own language. The body language can be in accordance with the words – the verbal language, but there can also be a discrepancy. Problems in communication are often caused by the difference between the words and the body language. As the matter of fact we often believe body more than we believe the words.
The model shows how important your body language and your way to express the words is, for your colleague’s way to understand what you are saying.
How does your co-worker perceive what you say?
55% body language.
38% the way it’s said.
7% the actual words spoken
Your body language shows:
• How you understand yourself
• How you think your interlocutor understands you
• Your own belief in what you are saying

or e.g. when you are talking to a colleague your body language will show your opinion about him or her, what you think what he or she means about you and something about your feelings to yourself.
here fore you have to be aware of your body language.

Distance zones

We behave in different ways to colleagues we know very well and colleagues we don’t know. One of the situations where you obviously recognize that is how close you go to your interlocutor. This is called territorial behaviour. We all have some limits for how close we want other people to come to us, and where we wish – and not wish other people to touch our body.
You probably know some situations where you don’t take a seat closest to another person, for e.g. in a bus or in the cinema or even in a classroom, if there are enough seats to sit alone. Obviously the territorial behaviour is linked to the person’s culture and upbringing. Our behaviour is therefore highly definite by unwritten rules and conventions we have in the society we live in.
In general you divided the human territory into four zones, which is called distance zones.
In the intimate zone we fight and make love.
In the personal zone we speak together in confidence.
The social zone is normally used in a working context.
The official zone is used e.g. when you are making a speech or when you are teaching in a bigger forum. The limits for the different distance zones are different. Somebody don’t care when you go close to them and even touch them, but other people will be nervous and ill at ease.
It is important that you think about how close you go to people, because you can be sure that nobody will listen to you or remember your message, if you come too close.