Body Language

You can tell a family’s distribution of power by the kind of dining table they

have, as long as they were free to choose any shape table they wanted.

Families that encourage their members to share their opinions and points of

view, prefer round tables. Families with an authoritarian at the helm opt for

rectangular tables.

Recently divorced, Anne was feeling shy, introverted, and somewhat unsure

of herself. In spite of her lack of confidence, she accepted an invitation to a

friend’s dinner party. The hostess, knowing how Anne was feeling, seated her

at the head of the table, facing into the room, with her back against the wall.

Sitting in the most powerful position at the table, Anne found herself speak-

ing throughout the evening with authority and confidence, and engaged com-

fortably with the people around her.

Orientating Yourself.....................................................................................

Stand up, and you move and think one way. Lie down, and you think and move

in another. Depending on whether you’re standing to attention or slouching in

your chair, you find yourself thinking and behaving differently. How you position

yourself determines and sends out signals of how you view the world. The

world, in turn, responds in its own way to the signals you send.

Horizontally.........................................................................................

Someone who’s lying out flat, or slumped over his desk, or is curled up in a

ball, risks insulting his colleagues and companions. If the other people expect

to demonstrate polite attentiveness, you’re going to have to change your pos-

ture and show that you’re alert.

Chapter 12: Territorial Rights and Regulations 207

Lefties and righties

The expressions ‘left wing’ and ‘right wing’ date

back to pre-revolutionary France. In 1789, the

French National Assembly was assembled to

give power to the citizens and reduce the King’s

influence. Inside the chamber where the

Assembly met, members of the Third Estate sat

on the left and members of the First Estate sat

on the right. The Third Estate was made up of

revolutionaries and the First Estate consisted of

nobles. Thus, the left wing of the Assembly was

liberal and the right wing was conservative. The

terms left and right wing have another meaning,

as well. Whereas ‘right’ implies ‘correct’, the

Latin term for ‘left’ (sinestra) implies ‘sinister’

behaviour.