If you’re having eye contact with someone and they look away, move on to another face. Stop for a moment or two when you find a friendly face and make direct eye contact.ĭon’t linger on one person because you don’t want to stare. Try looking at quadrants of the audience, and do it in a random fashion. Don’t be mechanical and as predictable as those beacons are. Use the “lighthouse effect” as you scan the crowd.īut modify it. While it isn’t possible to have individual eye contact with everyone in an audience, the following suggestions will work. (People yawning, snoring, or running for the exits are indications of serious problems with your speech!) Do this, and check, again, the feedback the audience is giving to see if you’ve cleared up the confusion. The responses you get may suggest changes you need to make in your delivery.įor instance, a number of faces indicating confusion about something you just presented suggest that you repeat, perhaps in a different manner, the point you want to make. The expressions on the audience’s faces, the look and direction of their eyes, and their body posture and movement will indicate how well the communication is going.Ĭonstantly make note of this as you look at the audience. You are interacting with everyone and it is a two-way street, and your eyes are one of the tools you use to catch and interpret the messages the crowd is giving you. This doesn’t mean that you’re not also receiving communication. The difference is that only you, the presenter, are doing most of the talking. Keep in mind that a great speech (you do want to give a great one, don’t you?) should be like a one-on-one conversation. Look for these emotions in the faces of your audience and be keenly aware that they will receive like messages from you when given. Just like a good conversation, eye contact makes them look at you and keeps their attention.Īlso, noteworthy about our eyes is that they can express fear, wonderment, openness, disgust and a variety of other human emotions. Language like, ‘Look me in the eye when you talk to me’, ‘Eyes are the opening to the soul’ and ‘I can read it in his eyes’ confirm this belief. Then, after a few moments, move on to another welcoming face.īy using good eye contact you are able to connect with the audience, and connecting isa major goal of public speaking.Įye contact expresses honesty and sincerity. Look at that person directly in the eye and start speaking. Making eye contact with people you meet beforehand who express friendliness, and an eagerness to hear you speak, will get your talk off to a jumpstart. Introduce yourself and ask them questions. This is one reason for arriving early at the place of your talk to and to ‘Meet & Greet’ audience members. The first thing to do, after taking the lectern, and before beginning your talk, is to find a friendly face and make eye contact. The same applies when speaking to a group of people. The eyes are the first things we use for non-verbal communication when we meet someone.
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