Friday, June 8, 2007
Personal Space
Another Important aspect to nonverbal communication is personal space. Personal space is defined as "the comfortable amount of distance between people in conversation." (Hamilton, 164). Not perceiving the correct amount of personal space can degrade the effectiveness of communication. If you are too close to someone they be uncomfortable and attempt to back up, but if you are too far away, certain conversations may seem unnatural. It is important to take into consideration some cultures traditionally differ on what is deemed acceptable for personal space. This can lead to an awkward situation: If the person you are speaking with has a closer space boundary than you, you may feel the need to back up to reestablish your personal space boundary. But the other person may then take a step closer to reestablish their space boundary, or worse they may feel you are being rude (Hamilton 164, 305)
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Space boundary can change within each situation for a given person. A given individual will probably have a differnt proximity for intimate space, personal space, social/constructive space, and public space. To learn more:
Underwood, Mark. (2003, June). Communication studies, cultural studies, media studies. Retrieved Junve 9, 2007 from http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/schtml/index.html
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