Proxemics

Hall categorises distance as:

• Intimate – physical involvement
• Personal – reserved for friends and relatives
• Social – the space you would maintain between yourself and a stranger, or between yourself and business colleagues
• Public – formal and rather detached such as the space maintained between a lecturer and the audience.

Hall also notes that different cultures have different personal space expectations. Misunderstandings often happen because we are unaware of other cultural norms in relation to personal space. Keep in mind that while somebody from a non-contact culture might feel that their space is invaded by another person standing too close to them, a person from a contact culture might not trust somebody that stands too far away during a conversation.

Knowledge about the expected degree of contact helps to make your interactions with persons from other cultures successful.