Episode 93 -Is There A "Best Place" to Sit When Questioning Deponents or Witnesses?

In this episode, Jim Garrity explores the psychological impact of seating arrangements, and how various seating configurations affect the way witnesses and deponents perceive you. As he explains, some seating arrangements are intuitively collaborative in nature, and give off friendly, cooperative vibes. Others, the research shows, can create negative energy from the outset. As always, he ends with practical guidance and insights on the best places to sit - vis-a-vis your subjects - for depositions and witness interviews.

SHOW NOTES

Sommers, Robert, Studies in Personal Space, Sociometry Journal, March 1959, American Sociological Association https://faculty.buffalostate.edu/hennesda/sommer%20personal%20space.pdf

Zhu, Rui and Argo, Jennifer, Exploring the Impact of Various Shaped Seating Arrangements on Persuasion, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 40, No. 2 (Aug. 2013), Oxford University Press

Morris, Juliann, The Effects of Seating Arrangements on Small Group Leadership Emergence, Vol. 16 (2018), University of Hawaii at Hilo Press

Van Edwards, Vanessa, Learn the Psychology of Conference Table Seating According to Science, Mar. 13, 2019, published on Medium.com

Russell, J. Curtis and Baron, Reuben M., Seating Arrangement and Social Influence: Moderated by Reinforcement Meaning and Internal-External Control, pub. In Social Psychology Quarterly,  Mar. 1980, Vol. 43, No. 1.

Lattimore, Karlson Lajuan, The Effect of Seating Orientation and a Spatial Barrier on Students’ Experience of Person-Centered Counseling, Graduate Thesis (Aug. 2013), Cornell University

Maximize the Impact of Seating Formations (undated), published on www.westsidetoastmasters.com.