Hall's four zones. Anthropologist Edward T. Hall mapped the unconscious distances we keep:
- Intimate — 0 to 1.5 ft — partners, family, threats
- Personal — 1.5 to 4 ft — friends, comfortable colleagues
- Social — 4 to 12 ft — business default, strangers
- Public — 12+ ft — speakers, strangers, performances
The trap. Most reps default to "social" distance the entire conversation. That's polite — but polite doesn't close.
The shift: move distance with the emotional temperature.
- Opening / rapport — Sit in social zone. Lean back. Don't crowd. Let them set the pace.
- Discovery / pain probe — Lean forward into upper personal (~3.5 ft). Forearms on table. This says I'm in this with you.
- The hard question — Slow your body down. Soften voice. Stay in personal zone — but stop gesturing. Stillness = gravity.
- The close — Slight lean back. Hands open on table. Give them space to decide. Crowding the close screams desperation.
On the doorstep (D2D). First 30 seconds: stay 4–5 ft back. Anything closer reads as predatory. After they nod once or smile once, take one half-step in. That single step does what 60 seconds of script can't.
On video calls. Your "distance" is your frame size. Pull the laptop back for rapport. Lean in subtly for the close. Don't fill the entire frame the whole call — it reads as aggressive.
The rule. Distance is a tool, not a default. The closer the moment, the more deliberate your spacing.