Where to Sit For a Meeting...According to Science

Increase your confidence and persuasiveness by learning where to sit in a meeting, networking event, or classroom.

In this video, I am going to teach you the science behind where to sit at a conference table to get your boss to listen, get ahead, and be taken seriously.

In this video:
0:00 Intro
0:36 The Table Test
4:13 Seating names
5:22 Seating game plan
6:21 Know your mode
7:15 Practically speaking
7:57 The Big B
9:33 Be a Sitting Pro
10:15 Where to sit if there are no head seats
11:18 Where to sit at a circular table
12:30 Final thoughts

Note: At 5:22, slide should read "Your Seating Game Plan"

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People School is a 12 step video based training program designed to increase your interpersonal intelligence. People School focuses on the four core competencies of Business PQ:

• Empower Leaders and Managers
• Leverage Science-Backed Communication Tools
• Activate Effective Teamwork and Collaboration
• Improve Client Relations & Sales

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Hi, I’m Vanessa!
You deserve more. More influence, more income, more of what you want. I would be honored to help you.

My name is Vanessa Van Edwards and I’m a recovering awkward person. I’m also a multi-time bestselling author of:
My goal is simple: Help YOU get to your goals faster. Never be overlooked, interrupted or forgotten again.

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Vanessa Van Edwards is Lead Investigator at Science of People — where she unlocks the formulas and patterns behind human behavior for hundreds of thousands of students in over 200 countries. She is the national bestselling author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding With People, available in 14 languages around the world. Her work has been featured on CNN, NPR, BBC, Fast Company and dozens more.

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[ScienceOfPeople]

Want more details on how to choose the best seat?

[artscience]

I have attended literally hundreds of meetings over the years. Sometimes I felt like I was contributing a lot and in the flow of the conversation. Other times I felt like I couldn’t get people’s attention, and like I was on the “outside” of the meeting. I finally concluded it had to do with where I was sitting during the meeting. This presentation confirms that thought and adds a lot of enlightening explanation.

[LuckyLioness]

You are an excellent presenter! Your energy, pace, how you refrain from saying “umm” and “uhh”, and way of explaining things, keep people’s interest. Looking forward to your other videos. Thank you!

[meditation-sightssoundsofr]

Exactly what I teach in my workshops. Additionally, when you stand up and have something projected, make every effort to be to the left of the presentation for the reasons Vanessa talked about. Tony Robbins taught this long ago. We tend to look up and to the left to access information, makes perfect sense to be on the left and if possible standing.

[robg]

As a union rep I often have to be the contrarian to oppose some company policies so traditionally I am expected to sit opposite the 'A'.
But often I chose the 'B' seat or even the 'F' seat behind the 'A'
The 'B' seat gives me access to invade their personal space and they can become quite unnerved and agitated when an adversary sits this close.
Especially if you can see their notes and paperwork that they are referring to.
The 'F' seat also unnerves them when you are out of their direct sight line and even more so if you are behind them, so in effect they feel they have to look over their shoulder to perceive the hidden threat that you present.

This is very effective when the 'A' is used to being surrounded by sycophants and yes men as this situation is something they do not normally experience or have to deal with.

I find this gives me a lot options to play ball and support them if they doing the right thing but can instantly chose to oppose and undermine them if I need to protect my colleagues.

Don't you just love psychology.

[RobertHenry]

Vanessa - awesome! I loved when you removed the end seats, which is my situation. Love it! Thank you for posting.

[LilBlighter]

I can't tell you how much I relate to this video. I normally sit at seat B and sometimes cover for my boss, so I'm at seat A, but there's always a new meeting to attend. Very useful for office/business and meetings tactics.

[zachmentalloadcoach]

I'm a teacher and most of meetings I have are in the classroom of one of the other teachers, and I've always thought a little bit about the proximity of my closer-known colleagues, but I have not really considered the proximity of where I was sitting to anyone, thank you for this info! Always learning something technical from you!

[katieeisenhower]

I'll be paying attention to my own inclinations of where to sit, as well as others. Thank you!

[dwalker]

Thank you. I learned a lot. I’m typically a “D” seat. It made me smile thinking back to a few of my meetings and the seat locations I get it.

[jennyrodriguez]

Thank you Vanessa for making this video! I’m honestly impressed and i know starting to have a better understanding how people behave at our work meetings! Please keep sharing with us your knowledge!!!

[elaineyho]

Glad I found your channel. Thanks for the lively tutorial about how people sit in a meeting. Now I can choose my seat strategically at work.

[komaliwings]

I really liked the format of this video. It was a lot like a tutorial but you're obviously a teacher who knows what they're doing and presents with confidence. It was just simple and straightforward and I think it worked really well. Thanks =)

[HarfangX]

I’m a big imposing guy and I find that if I sit right next to someone who I think will be opposing me or criticizing me... it dulls out their aggressive predisposition.
If two people are coming in as allies in a meeting with a position opposite to mine, I try and sit between them, it cuts out the symbolic link between them. ... especially if they can’t see each other well and look for the other’s reaction... plus I can glimpse at what they are looking at, their notes if any.

It’s hard to be mean or aggressive to someone when they’re in your face, it diffuses things

[randolphumali]

I always sit nearest where the food is 😂😂😂

[umerk]

Hi Vanessa...I found your contents as I was searching for proper body language during speech and I am glad to have found your channel. I absolutely love the scientific reasoning behind your explanations. This solodify a viewer's believe in what you are teaching us. Thank you so very much for your amazing contribution to human excelence.

Umer.

[AMcDub]

Another great video!! In typical conference room meetings in my experience, F is for the person taking minutes of the meeting and for the person who is late getting to the meeting and there are no seats left. E is for the loudmouth with strong opinions, D is for those who just want to get it over with. If someone is in the corner of E and D, they might act like an E. C is usually the boss's assistant and B is the supervisor or someone who reports directly to the boss. And in a lot of meetings, E and A are flip flopped if the boss doesn't want to walk all the way to the back of the room

[JedzLigsay]

This will help me so much, I struggle on which seat to choose during those meetings. And our previous meetings, I did observed this, makes so much sense now. Thank you for making this video!

[maissamalhamwi]

I always sit in B seat l feel my brain can function better. When we have meeting in our women charity but never knew that my seat is B today l from you. Thank you Vanessa.

[ciao]

You’re the best! Thanks for helping us recovering awkward people! You make everything seem less anxiety ridden ❤❤❤❤