Semi-fixed space includes the movable objects such as tables and chairs and. their arrangement.

and rooms. the pennanent mangement of buildings and, in turn, rooms considerably influences the communication environment. First, it reduce the degree to which peopl~ may vary their space to con-espond to their attitude. For instance person may feel close to another and desire to move physically closer, however, if the chairs and tables are fixed, such a move would not be possible.
Semi-fixed space includes the movable objects such as tables and chairs and. their arrangement. A flexible mangement of furniture allows managers to observe how people an-ange their environment and to listen for the messages being conveyed by the arrangement. For instance, when people are at ease with one another, they may move their chairs away from the table so it does not separate them. Research has found that people at right angles to each other produced six times as many conversations as face-to-face situations across a 36-inch span of table and twice as many as the side-by-side arrangement. Thus, two people seated at right angles to one another may be more predisposed to communication that others.
Informal space, perhaps most significant when considering managefial listening, encompasses the distances maintained in encounters with others. Infonnal space is divided into four distinct distances: intimate, personal, social, and public.
While these zones vary from one culture or group to another, tbis discussion will be in telms of the American culture. The first zone, intimate, involves fewer than 18 inches of space between two people. Those who feel close, safe, and secure with one another share this zone. A pat on the ,back or a hand on the shoulder occurs in this