9. Examples from real meetings

The last few blogs have discussed a number of factors to do with physicality and positioning that influence your status at meetings so I thought it might be worth having a look at how some of these play out in practice.

Take another look at this picture of a meeting in progress that I included in Blog #3 about space and power.

Now I should say that I know nothing about the context or the personnel attending this meeting, it’s simply a photo I found online.  But it’s a good example of several things I’ve been describing.

Who is chairing?

I reckon it’s the woman in the black jacket with the reddish hair on the left. For a start she is sitting in one of the power positions (long table so the middle of the sides are arguably more powerful than the end positions).  Notice that there are only five people on her side of the table, as opposed to seven on the other side, and she has plenty of space around her.  She is leaning in with an authoritative air, hands and collateral on the table in front of her, and appears to be talking through the document that several others are also referring to.

The woman in the red jacket on the left side is also a power player.  Notice that both she and the chairwoman (assuming I’m right) have empty chairs next to them.  If they are aligned – and the positioning suggests to me that they are - they will be a powerful force in the meeting.

Of the two women sitting in the middle of the right side of the table, the one in the white cardigan is in a potentially powerful position but she looks a bit cramped.  By leaning in, she looks to be holding higher status than the others around her. The woman to her right, with the scarf and the red glasses, has slightly removed herself by sitting back.  While this could theoretically be high-status, I doubt very much that others would sit so close to a super-alpha. 

The man at the far end, in the black jacket with the grey hair, is potentially also in a powerful position but because he is off-centre, and shares the end of the table with the woman in the turquoise-blue blouse, his power is diminished.  And the woman with glasses, at the top left, has pretty much completely removed herself by sitting back and having her hands in her lap.

Meanwhile the woman in brown at the bottom right-hand corner is, rightly, working extra hard to stay part of the discussion, with her hands further in than, say, the man in the bottom left of the corner, who looks like a spectator.  Consequently she will find it easier to get her voice heard than he will.  But both of them are starting at a disadvantage, however, because they are seated in the corners.  Interestingly both also have empty seats next to them.  Had either of them simply moved their seat around to occupy the empty end of the table, they would have boosted their status and instantly rivalled that of the chairwoman.  Possibly that is why they haven’t done so, they may intuitively know they lack the necessary status.  The man in the bottom left corner, in particular, has the air of a spectator about him. 

Another interesting feature is that there are two empty chairs at this end of the table and yet, at the other end, the attendees are bunched up.  Whether there were simply more chairs around the table than people attending, or some people failed to show up, the man and woman at this end both made the poor choice of corner positions, when more influential chairs were available.  But either could increase their status by getting rid of the empty chairs next to them and increasing their space.

No-table meetings     

At meetings without tables the influence of positioning and body language is even more pronounced.  People are usually free to place their chairs where they choose.  There may be a variety of seating, including armchairs and softer furniture, some of which become the power positions and the spatial arrangement may evolve around those that are fixed or less easily moved.  Generally speaking the higher the seat, the greater the status.  Beware the low sofa.  It's very difficult to speak with authority when you are sunk deep into the upholstery!

Similarly you should take care not to sit outside a circle, or whatever variation of it emerges.  This is far more common than you might imagine.  It's extraordinary how often a group of people will sit in something resembling a circle, but with one or two people just outside.

For example both the woman in the bottom right hand corner of this picture and the woman in the floral shirt on the opposite side are sitting outside the circle.  It may be subtle but by placing themselves just slightly back from the line of the circle, they distance themselves from the discussion and diminish their own significance.

Body language is also more important when there are no tables because it is exposed, so greater levels of self awareness are needed.  Doubt, uncertainty, frustration, impatience, boredom, amusement and many other emotions will be communicated by your body and those of others.  It's worth asking yourself periodically “what is my body communicating to others?"  Similarly you can even more easily ‘read the runes’ by observing people's body language as well as listening to their words and watching their faces.

Look again at the picture above.  Both positioning and body language make it even clearer than it would be around a meeting table that the man in the pink shirt is the dominant voice, probably the most senior person there and certainly the one setting the agenda.  The two men on the right hand side, both leaning in, are active participants. The man in the check shirt in the bottom left corner and the woman in the blue jacket are less influential (leaning back, hands in laps).  The man in the suit is reducing his impact by having a laptop on his lap, whereas the woman in purple with the yellow lanyard is well positioned to contribute, with space around her.

Standing up

If you have been invited to give a presentation to the meeting, you can take the positioning advantage one step further by standing up.  As soon as one person is on their feet, it automatically creates the expectation that they will speak and the others will listen.  To make this work you need to do two things.

1) position yourself so you can see everyone.  The end of the table is ideal although it might be wise to discuss this with the chairman/woman beforehand.  Having some slides may help provide some justification if you are nervous about this.  (Though you need to continue to address the people round the table and not get seduced into talking to the screen)

2) step up to the plate.  Embrace the fact that you are the focus of everyone’s attention.  It means you have the thing you wanted: the opportunity to influence people.  The flip side of the attention is that it is, for most people, it can feel risky.  So you must accept the scrutiny, even if you find it intimidating.  And if you do find it intimidating you are not alone.  The majority of the clients I coach on their presentation skills need help with this.

If you are similarly interested in sharpening your impact and getting your voice heard, I’d love to hear from you on +44 7973 890578 or at bill@billbritten.co.uk