Personal Space Quiz
Communal Table
You sit shoulder to shoulder even with strangers, and before you know it the conversation circle has grown.
The big communal table in the middle of a café is a seat where solo customers and groups all share the same tabletop. There's little space between neighbors, and the smallest thing can start a conversation. You, too, don't leave much space between yourself and others, and you move closer to people without picking and choosing.
You warm up quickly even with people you've just met; you remember their names and end up making plans to meet again. If someone arrives late, you shuffle along to make room, and before you know it you've connected people who know you but not each other.
For someone who wants to sit quietly alone, a communal table is a bit lively. Some people find your closeness comfortable; others are thrown when you suddenly close the gap. Neither is right or wrong — you just like different seats.
Strengths
- You can find a way into a conversation with a stranger within the first few minutes
- You can introduce people you know to each other and create new connections
- Even as more people arrive, you can shuffle along and make room for someone
Where you may stumble
- You slip into casual talk while the other person still wants to keep some space
- With so many people you know, your replies to each one can end up running late
- When someone invites you to talk one-on-one, you can't help widening it: “Let's invite everyone!”
Sounds familiar, Communal Table?
- By the time you leave a café, you've swapped contact details with the person next to you
- All over the place, you have connections where you can say, “Oh, I know them”
- In group photos, even people you met partway through the day end up in the shot
Where you shine
Gatherings where people are meeting for the first time, groups where the faces keep changing, and a town you've just moved to. When you sit down, people who arrived separately become one table.
Tips for “Communal Table”
- With someone new, match their way of talking once before switching to a casual tone
- Once a month, make a day for meeting just one person instead of a crowd
- Before saying “Let's all go,” check whether the person who invited you wanted to talk one-on-one
Matches
See every match in the Personal Space Quiz compatibility chart →
Booth — The Booth also doesn't leave much space between itself and others. It grows the connections the Communal Table brings in into long friendships.
Sidewalk Table — The Sidewalk Table also likes being among lots of people. While the Communal Table shuffles along to make a circle, the Sidewalk Table keeps the door open: “Join us anytime, even halfway through.”
Window Counter — The Window Counter likes to sit with a few people, with comfortable space in between. The Communal Table's “Come over here!” can feel to it like an interruption of its quiet time.
Which one are you? 12 everyday situations, about 2 minutes.
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