Geographical proximity is the degree to which participants share a physical setting and can observe one another directly. In collaborative modeling, it shapes how easily facilitators notice conversation, energy, movement, and weak social signals. section 5.5.2 section 4.3.5
Reading the room
During an in-person sensemaking exercise, notice who approaches the line or paper first, who waits, and who follows another participant. These movements may reveal psychological safety, ranking, or cognitive bias. Online, watch for parallel signals such as who places the first dot, speaks first, turns a camera on, or unmutes. section 4.3.5 section 5.5.2
Account for proximity when choosing and facilitating a session format:
- Use physical proximity to maintain an overview of the group and read body language, facial expressions, gaze, intonation, and movement more easily. section 5.5.2 section 4.3.5
- Compensate for remote distance with working agreements, cameras on where possible, a separate screen for participants, and a digital whiteboard. section 5.5.2
- Remember that distance can also help: participants may feel safer at home, share more openly, experience less ranking, or contribute anonymously. section 4.3.5
- Convert hybrid sessions into an equivalent remote setting by giving in-person participants headphones and individual desks. section 5.5
Proximity is therefore neither automatically beneficial nor inherently limiting. Facilitation must adapt to the group, preserve opportunities for participation, and deliberately replace physical cues when distance removes them. section 4.3.5 section 5.5
