We already know that it is a good idea for a speaker to establish eye contact with the listener or audience. Good eye contact is vital to effective communication. Speakers who establish eye contact while speaking are regarded as more believable and earnest. But what specifically does “eye contact” mean and what is the best way to do it? There are many ways to establish eye contact and here are some suggestions to enable you to engage your audience.
When you are speaking, your eyes should be on the person or group of persons who are listening. Eye contact is a way of getting feedback and reactions from your listeners that can help you gauge how well your message is being received. You will gain valuable information and get ideas about what to emphasize, what not to say, and what to repeat. A candidate at a job interview needs to establish eye contact to show attentiveness, likeability, and respect.
Where do you look to establish eye contact? Look at one eye at a time, slowly, using a gaze not a stare. Move your gaze down to the bridge of the nose and slowly back to the eyes. Stay relaxed and don’t stare. Keep an open and pleasant look on your face when using eye contact.
What if you are using notes?
There is one rule regarding the use of notes when speaking: never, and I do mean never, read from notes with your head down. When you need to glance at notes, pause first without talking, glance at your notes to find your place, and then raise your eyes and re-establish eye contact. Then, and only then do you continue speaking. (It’s a good thing to know the plan of your presentation well, so you need only a page or two of skeletal notes with topics and key phrases. The rest you should know well and be able to deliver as easily as conversing or telling a story.)
How to establish eye contact with a group? One easy way is to think of a camera. You can use a camera to pan, i.e., move slowly from left to right or right to left. This works well when you are giving background information and you wish to include everyone in the audience. Establish eye contact with each person in a sweep to the right or to the left.
You can also use eye contact to punctuate your points, i.e., for emphasis on the issues you want your audience to remember. Pick a person and focus on eye contact with that person to make a point. Then focus on another person to make another point. Vary your eye contact as if it is a camera with “pans” and “punctuation.” Your audience will feel included and feel as if you are connecting with them.
If you are not comfortable with making eye contact then you do need to practice. One easy way to practice is to make eye contact with people who appear on television. Practice making eye contact with newscasters who look into the camera or talk show hosts who address the viewer audience. Practice will help you gain confidence in making eye contact with your listeners.