Eye contact is one of the most important aspects of public speaking and can really make or break your presentation. In my public speaking training and coaching, poor eye contact is one of the common problems I see in my students. Many people are just not comfortable using genuine and effective eye contact, and they are unsure how they can best use eye contact – and I am not talking about cultural differences where sometimes eye contact may not be appropriate.
Lack of good eye contact can mean several things and this includes
- A sign of nerves
- Lack of confidence and uncertainty
- Lack of honesty or conviction around what you are saying – if you don’t know the answer – then don’t try and answer it.
- Thinking about the future (eyes to the roof) or searching the past (eyes to the floor)
- Lack of interest or engagement with your audience.
Eye contact is important as it allows you to
- Share yourself openly with the audience- the eyes are the windows to your sole
- Demonstrate sincerity and honesty in your message
- Attend to the audience and read the audience. You will see if they are flagging or going to sleep, or shaking their head in disagreement. This allows you to change tack to reengage the audience.
My philosophy on eye contact is that my lips should never move unless I am looking at 1 person. I encourage you to look at 1 person at a time and spend a few milliseconds and speak to them and then move to another person. Do this in a random but inclusive pattern around the room, remembering that in a big audience, if you look at 1 person, the 10 people sitting directly around that person will think that you are looking at them. If you want use a model to ensure that you cover the room fully, you can use a Z pattern or an X pattern, which enables you to track and ensure that you are covering all parts of the room.
Common errors regarding eye contact include
- Speaking with you back to the audience
- Looking to the back of the room – over the tops of everyone’s heads
- Looking at the ceiling or the floor while speaking
- Scanning the room with a vacant gaze, not actually looking at an individual
- Lighthouse eye contact, where you move systematically, like a lighthouse, from left to right of the room, without actually stopping to look at individuals as you go.
Use your eye contact when presenting, develop your confidence with eye contact, get feedback on how well you use your eye contact, after all it is one of the keys to building rapport and connecting to your audience.