An eye can threaten like a loaded and leveled gun; or can insult like hissing and kicking; or in its altered mood by beams of kindness, make the heart dance with joy. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Mr. Emerson’s eloquent statement expresses the importance of public speaking and eye contact, doesn’t it?
Perceptions
Eye contact impacts the way the audience perceives you. What perceptions might your audience conjure up if you don’t make eye contact while speaking?
- Lying
- Shy
- Not confident
- Not trustworthy
- Uncaring
- Distracted
- Embarrassed
- Shifty
- Hiding something
These misperceptions are why reading a speech is an ineffective means of communication. If you must read all or part of your talk, try to look up and reconnect with the audience during the reading. If your presentation requires you to REFER to notes, an extremely powerful yet practical way to do it is to PAUSE, look down at your notes, then look up and resume your talk. The beauty of this technique is that you are employing the use of the powerful pause, and are staying more connected with your audience because when are looking at them while you are talking.
PowerPoint
When doing a PowerPoint presentation, practice with the clicker so you
When pointing to a PowerPoint slide, chalkboard or flip chart, stand sideways. Your back to an audience is breaking contact with your audience. While it is unavoidable sometimes, to do it continuously will severely impact the effectiveness of your talk.
Eye Contact Tips
If you find that looking into the eyes of audience members makes the butterflies in your tummy start to riot, just look at the top of their nose- between the eyes. From the perspective of the audience, it appears that you are looking into their eyes. For you, it is a safe way to practice this critical element of connection without getting unnerved.
Bert Decker has lots to say about public speaking and eye contact in his bestselling book titled, You’ve Got to be Believed to be Heard. Here are a few tips:
- For effective eye communication, count to five. A feeling of involvement requires about five seconds of steady eye contact.
- Beware of the eye dart. The listener can read our anxiety in our darting eyes. We exude an “aroma” of fear and nervousness – and this undermines our credibility and makes our listener feel uncomfortable.
- Beware of the slow-blink. This is where a person closes his or her eyes for up to two or three seconds while speaking. It conveys the message, “I really don’t want to be here.”
