Eye-Contact (Part 2 in our Non-Verbal Communication series)

“One point eight million!  What if we could generate another $1.8M in annual revenue without having to make a new product or offer a new service?” James paused, made eye contact with Samantha the Chief Operating Officer and noticed that she subtly nodded her head. He had them, at least for the moment...

James was presenting to 8 members of his company’s Senior Leadership Team. He knew his audience was quick to get distracted, to scan their calendar, read email, or mentally fast-forward to their next meeting. He knew he needed to keep them engaged. He knew he needed meaningful eye contact! 

Spoken communication is inherently interpersonal. Whether you’re standing in front of hundreds or sitting across from a single person, you’re asking your audience to join you, to listen to you, and to explore ideas with you. You’re inviting them on a journey, through information and implication. You need them with you. And a great way to spark that connection is through meaningful eye contact.

Why eye contact?

Studies have consistently demonstrated that eye contact is a communication superpower (see Kleinke, 1986 or Segrin, 1993 for a review). 

First, it helps your audience stay engaged. It’s hard for someone to drift off, check email, or peruse their calendar when you’re looking AT them and talking TO them. 

Second, it boosts your authenticity and credibility. If you make eye contact with your audience, studies have repeatedly shown that your audience will rate you as more authentic, charismatic, and trusted. Relatedly, you will be perceived as having a higher degree of expertise in the topic.

Third, eye contact boosts the emotional impact of affective information. If there’s an emotional element to your presentation (e.g. this idea will bring joy to our customers, the team is overworked and burnt out, the board is nervous, there is a big opportunity in the market, or any other emotional information), it will have more impact if there is meaningful eye contact between you and your audience. Eye contact helps establish the bond that underlies shared, emotional experiences. 

Finally, eye contact can reduce anxiety. As soon as you make meaningful eye contact with a member of the audience, your presentation may feel more like a conversation and less like a performance. And if you’re like many people, you will be more comfortable and accustomed to having conversations than delivering performances.

What is meaningful eye contact?

Meaningful eye is looking at someone long enough for a connection to occur but not so long that it’s awkward—for you or them. It means directly looking at someone when you say a consequential line, deliver a powerful number, or ask a rhetorical question. It means periodically acknowledging, through eye contact, that you are talking TO people and not simply broadcasting information AT people.

The duration of the eye contact will vary based on a lot of circumstances (size of the audience, sensitivity of the information, the audience member’s reaction, etc.), but usually falls in the 3-5 second range. It typically involves saying entire sentences to someone. Meaningful eye contact is never just “scanning the room” and it doesn’t occur if you look at the top of people’s heads.

How to execute eye contact?

Involve everyone. 

Literally everyone if you are presenting to a small group. On the other hand, if you are presenting to a larger audience, divide the audience into zones (the larger the audience, the more zones).

Pick a person in each zone and make meaningful eye contact with them. The people in the vicinity will feel much the same connection (...and we’re back to the power of those mirror neurons). If the presentation is long enough to cycle through the zones multiple times, mix up the order and be sure to select different people each time. Make it feel natural and not like you’re executing a predetermined program.

What if I have difficulty with eye contact?

Eye contact can feel awkward to many people, especially if they’re talking to strangers in a formal setting. And while there are certainly neurodevelopmental circumstances that make eye contact difficult or even counter-productive, many people can gain comfort with eye-contact through practice.

For example, in your next meeting or professional conversation, establish a goal of making meaningful eye contact with someone in the first 15-seconds of your presentation. If possible, choose someone you’re comfortable with. Gradually, expand the goal to having meaningful eye contact in each component of your presentation. Finally, work to present most of your content with meaningful eye contact. Take your time, give yourself grace, but always aim to add in a bit more eye contact with each new presentation.

James used an intriguing opening line and meaningful eye contact to draw Samantha and her SLT colleagues into his presentation. That eye contact built a speaker-audience connection, piqued the interest of his audience, reduced his anxiety, and established his authenticity and expertise. The next time you present, be mindful of the power of eye contact and use it as your communication superpower. 

In our next Speaker Soundbite, we’ll move to Part 3 in our Non-Verbal Communication Series: Movement.