Seating Arrangements - Where to Sit, and WhyThe Co-operative Position (B2)
When two people are thinking alike or both working on a task
together, this position often occurs. We found that 55% of
people chose this position as the most co-operative, or intu-
itively took it when asked to work jointly with another person.
The Co-operative
PositionIt is one of the best positions for presenting your case and
having it accepted because it allows good eye contact and the
opportunity for mirroring. The trick is, however, for B to be
able to move into this position without A feeling as if his ter-
ritory has been invaded. This is also a successful position to
take when a third party is introduced into the negotiation by
B. Say, for example, that a salesperson was having a second
interview with a client and the salesperson introduces a tech-
nical expert. The following strategy will work well:
The technical expert is seated at position C opposite
customer A. The salesperson sits at either position B2 (Co-
operative) or Bl (Corner). This allows the salesperson to be
'on the client's side' and to ask the technician questions on
behalf of the client. This position is known as 'siding with the
opposition'.
Introducing a
third person