PERSONAL SPACE

CLASS: FORM ONE

ORAL SKILLS: LISTENING AND SPEAKING

NON VERBAL CUES: PERSONAL SPACE 

How would you feel if a stranger sat, walked or stood so close to you? 

When people stand too close to us or talk too close to our face we may feel uncomfortable or threatened.

The physical space immediately surrounding someone into which encroachment may feel uncomfortable or threatening is called personal space. 

Depending on our relationship with others, we ought to keep a certain physical distance between us in order to avoid making them feel uncomfortable or squeamish. 

We tend to keep a much smaller space between us and people we know well like family members or close friends but the distance becomes much greater when interacting with strangers. 

 

Zone and distance 

1.  Intimate distance: Distance between parents, children, spouses etc.

2.  Personal distance: Close friends 

3.  Social distance: Friends, coworkers, social gatherings 

4.  Public distance: Total strangers, professionals (e.g. between teachers and students) 

 

 
Rules of personal space  

1.  Avoid touching strangers. 

2.  Maintain respectable distance between you and people you don’t know well. 

3.  Before entering a room, knock first. 

4.  Always leave an extra seat between you and the next person if possible. (In a bus, matatu, or social hall) 

5.  If you notice that you are too close to a person and they seem uncomfortable, take a step back. 

 

Importance of maintaining personal space

1. To avoid making others feel uncomfortable. 

2.To avoid making others feel threatened. 

3.Avoid the spread of some contagious or airborne diseases. 

4.To avoid annoying others by making them feel vulnerable. 

Next we analyse oral skills notes on riddles and tongue twisters.

Do you ever feel uncomfortable when someone encroaches your personal space?