Majority of managers are conscientious about the effect of their total personality (good grooming, poise, social decorum and communication skills) in their chosen career, but have neglected the set-up of their office and how it affects their visitors.

The selection of office furniture and how they are arranged is part of the nonverbal communication which is the “language of objects”.

The following queries can assist in determining the impact of an executive’s office to visitors:

1. Where is the desk located in relation to the chairs intended for the visitors? An open arrangement with the desk against the wall foster the impression that the officeholder is more confident, friendly and extrovert in nature than someone who blocks off an area to visitors with a desk.
2. Is the office neat, messy, or somewhere-in-between? A very neat office is regarded as too sterile for genuine use, and the visitor feels that the office holder is on display like everything else in the room. A messy office implies that the visitor has intruded, or that the occupant is not interested in impressing guests. The somewhere-in-between office, according to study, is the most acceptable degree of neatness.
3. Are there plants or aquarium in the office? Living things off-set the non-organic nature of the office setting. Visitors will find this kind of environment more inviting, and are inclined to think of the officeholder as friendly. Those executives who display posters, paintings or wall hangings are also regarded as having strong interpersonal skills.

What does the office reveal about the officeholder? Are the guests invited to sit down and make them comfortable, while the executive is seated behind a clustered desk in a barrier position? How is the office influencing the visitors’ willingness to speak openly or to air grievances? Is the office arrangement consistently communicating with what is presented through the words and actions of the officeholder?

A better outlook and assessment of he above settings can contribute to the success of the person behind the office.

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