When your body says more than your words
Most professionals preparing for a British-LatAm meeting think about what they are going to say. Very few think about what their body is already saying before they open their mouth.
The spatial dimension of the Slot v Flow™ systems is the one that operates entirely below the level of language. You can prepare your words, your agenda, your talking points. You cannot easily prepare your instincts about distance, contact, and eye contact because those instincts were formed long before you ever sat across a table from someone from a different culture.
And when they misfire, nobody mentions it. The meeting just feels slightly off.
The situation
Consider two people having an argument. In the UK, escalation tends to zoom in: raised voices, closed distance, faces closer together. The invasion of personal space is itself a signal of aggression. Getting in someone’s face means you mean it.
In Latin America, escalation tends to zoom out: when someone is genuinely angry, they withdraw. They walk away. They turn their back. Proximity is not a sign of confrontation; it is a sign of engagement. Distance is what signals that something is wrong.
Same emotion. Opposite physical expression.
The friction
Now put those two instincts into a professional meeting.
A Latin American counterpart who stands close, maintains strong eye contact, and reaches briefly to touch your arm while making a point is doing none of these things to unsettle you. They are engaging. The proximity is warmth, the eye contact is acknowledgement, the touch is emphasis. In their spatial language, this is what interest and respect look like.
A British professional who backs away slightly, avoids sustained eye contact, and keeps a clear physical boundary is not being cold or disengaged. They are being professional. In their spatial language, this is what respect for the other person looks like.
Neither is wrong. Both are misreading each other in real time — and neither knows it, because nobody has said a word.
Slot v. Flow™ in action
đź”— Continue reading here: https://www.multilateral.studio/newsletters/the-friction-dispatch/posts/body-spanish
THE BRITISH-LATAM FRICTION SCORECARD™
Find out exactly where your friction is.
A personalised read of where your British-LatAm friction actually lives. The kind of specific that changes how you walk into your next meeting.Used by British and LatAm professionals. Takes 3 minutes.
