The Seat You Choose Says More Than You Think

Some people make you feel comfortable without doing anything obvious.

Often, it’s because they notice things other people miss.

About 25 years ago, I attended a lecture where the speaker gave us a question to consider.

Look at the picture below.

You're a vendor visiting a customer's home. He asks you to take a seat while he goes to the kitchen to get you a drink.

Which seat should you choose?

Most of us would probably just sit down, but there's more information in the room than we think.

First, avoid taking the host’s usual seat. So which one is probably his? The best guess is Seat 2.

An individual chair is often a plausible candidate for the host’s regular seat.

Then notice the coffee table. Since most people are right-handed, Seat 2 would let him reach it naturally.

If you know he is left-handed, Seat 1 might be the better guess.

Now choose your own seat.

Ideally, choose a seat that makes conversation feel natural for both of you.

That makes Seat 5 the best choice.

You might guess wrong. That's fine.

The point isn’t to memorize a seating rule. It’s to develop the habit of noticing what makes another person comfortable.

That lecture stuck with me because social awareness rarely announces itself.

It shows up in small choices that make others feel at ease.

You likely won't remember where someone sat.

You just remember how you felt around them.

#Talroo #EmotionalIntelligence #Leadership #HR #PeopleSkills