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 Slots v. Loops™ 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.
