Spatial Relationship
A fascinating area in the nonverbal world of body language is that of spatial relationships , or proxemics, the study of man's appreciation and use of space. As a species, man is highly territorial but we are rarely aware of it unless our space is somehow violated. Spatial relationships and territorial boundaries directly influence our daily encounters.
It is important for people to have their ‘own space'. The position a person prefers and all the things that person does to appropriate the space around him or her says something about that person. The mutual distances people choose during interactions have several goals. Distance plays a role in signaling the beginning and the end of a conversation. It also signals something about how intimate and how personal we experience the relationship and the topic of discussion.
The physical distance we keep from others and our reaction to how other people approach us have a big influence on our discussions and the accompanying connections with these people. The amount of personal space we appreciate is strongly influenced by the culture we live in. Edward Hall, an American anthropologist, has divided interpersonal space into four zones:
• The intimate zone (0 - 45 cm)
• The personal zone (45 - 120 cm)
• The social zone (120 - 360 cm)
• The public zone (360 - 750 cm or more)
Changing the distance between two people can convey a desire for intimacy, declare a lack of interest, or increase/decrease domination. If somebody comes closer to us than we are used to, invading our personal space, he can give us an uneasy feeling. We feel inclined to take a step backward to establish the original personal space with which we are comfortable again. In general, people need a certain amount of personal space to feel optimally all right.
Typically, in large classes space invasion is not a problem. In fact, there is usually too much distance. To counteract this, teachers should move around the classroom to increase interaction with the students. Increasing proximity enables them to make better eye contact and increases the opportunities for students to speak.
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