Where to sit in a meeting is very important in today's corporate world and would like to have your views as to what's obtainable in your organisation.

Conventionally, the most senior person (position) of the organisation in the meeting sits right at the head of the table. This seat is important to acquire and maintain attention from other participants. For me I take a seat that my boss can see me from any angle he is seated. The reason for this is that over the years I have seen that if you take a position where you are not easily noticeable, aggressive bosses have the view that you are under-prepared & hence wanting to hide. I also know that at the end, it is not the seat or where you sit that matter, but the 'seat of power & control' that make a difference and your contribution to the subject matter being discussed is also far more important than the where you sit power play.

For me, if I am marketing our services I sit on the left next to my senior partner. If we are negotiating for a client, I sit right to my partner or the client. Where I'm part of a team, it depends on my position in the team; where I am leading the team I sit right at the center side of the table. This also depends on the counterparts sitting position.


In addition to the meeting siting position, I would add that your posture is also very important for the human mindset. The lounge height, desk height, standing height are critical to define the atmosphere of collaboration and all of these boils down to information/generation/co-creation.

Feel free to have your say. You may also want to distinguish between in-house meetings where the head/manager is sitting and the team sit around; and client meetings (where the people from two or more different places occupying seat in opposite sides so that they can identify and understand each other. The middle place of course is place a for the Head of the teams on both side so that the final conclusion can be discussed and finalized between the Heads on both sides; sign off if required.

Your thoughts are welcome