What To Do About CLOSE TALKERS
By: Tim Mallon | 28. Jul 2008
I had heard about them. I had even seen them from a distance. I had never personally encountered a close talker until recently. I just happen to work with one for a day.
In case you don’t know what I am talking about, a close talker is a person who gets uncomfortably close to you when they talk to you. Their face is extremely close to yours and they don’t give you any personal or privacy space. They do not honor the comfortable 3 feet rule.
SO let me give you some helpful tips to employ which may help you feel less uncomfortable and better able to communicate.
Your first inclination may be to back up. While this may work some of the time, it really is a rookie mistake. The close talker is trying to engage you and will just move closer and before you know it you will end up against a wall or railing with nowhere to go.
Next, you may try to hold your arms out a bit to try and give you some space. Maybe you can act like you are checking your phone while holding it out in front of you. This technique doesn’t always provide the best results.
The best technique I have found is the leg out in front technique. Before the close talker can get to you, stand with one leg out in front of you and lean back on the other. That way, your front foot will act as a barrier for the close talker. Combined with continual side switching and turning your body you can really work some extra space for yourself. The close talker may find you a bit fidgety but this can be easily passed off as preoccupation while you are talking to them.
So watch out for those close talkers. Remember the 3 feet rule, work the techniques, and you will come out ok.
It's true, backing up almost never works. People need to remember to stay out of other people's body bubble, unless they are invited in.
I am known by all of my co workers as one who HATES CLOSE TALKERS. I am so glad that i now have a technique to prevent this from happening to me in the future…but what if the person just moves to your side so they can still invade your space and breathe their toxic breath on you?
That's when put your hands on your hips so that your elbows stick out… It's kind of awkward but you don't have to do it for too long because once in place you turn your body so that your elbows hit the other person. It's kind of like a “back off” hit / message.
That's when put your hands on your hips so that your elbows stick out… It's kind of awkward but you don't have to do it for too long because once in place you turn your body so that your elbows hit the other person. It's kind of like a “back off” hit / message.
[...] and have it cling to them. There may be one good thing about the smell… it may help keep close talkers away… well, on second thought…. it takes a lot more than that to deter close talkers. [...]