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"Pull up a chair. The way you arrange seating during meetings can persuade your audience to agree with your ideas, finds a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.\nA Canadian study team arranged seven chairs in either a circle or a straight line. People sitting in the circular arrangement were more than twice as likely to report a need to “belong” as opposed to a need to be “unique.” But those needs flipped when people sat in the straight line of chairs, the study shows.\nTurns out, people sitting in circles were significantly more likely to make decisions or purchases that emphasized inclusiveness or group participation, while straight-line sitters preferred options that emphasized individuality or exclusivity.\nWhy? Environmental cues activate basic social needs, which include the need to belong and the need to feel exceptional, explains study coauthor Jennifer Argo, Ph.D., of the University of Alberta. While the circular seating arrangement primes you to favor group or majority choices, sitting in a straight-line of chairs stokes your desire to be seen as unique and independent, she adds.\nDo this: If you’re pitching a group-centric product, or if your presentation emphasizes a team activity or initiative, arrange chairs in a circle, Argo recommends. Just make sure you emphasize the popularity of your product or the inclusive aspects of your ideas. If you’re selling your audience ideas or products that are unknown, a break from the norm, or dependent on individual performance, go with a straight-line, angular seating arrangement and play up the uniqueness angle.\nIf you liked this story, you'll love these:\n\nA Sneaky Way to Persuade People\nThe Secret to Making a Great Presentation\nConvince Your Coworkers\n  "
<https://www.menshealth.com/health/a19531817/try-this-persuasion-trick/>