Posts Tagged ‘eye contact’

I just finished working with a group of individuals who present to a wide range of audience sizes from 4 to 700.  However, most of their work is with small groups.

What I observed with their eye contact was predictable.  When speaking, they gave most of their attention to the people seated close to them.  Only occasionally, if at all, did they glance at the audience members seated farther away. 

This is a common phenomenon.  A speaker habituated to small groups will concentrate on the first row or two of a big audience and, relatively speaking, ignore everyone else.  Without realizing it, they are sizing the audience to fit their normal experience.

I say “without realizing it” because it is an unconscious thing.  Everyone in the group I just worked with was unaware they were only looking at a few people until I gave them that feedback and they observed the video recording of their presentation.

If your typical audience is small you will have to make a conscious effort to extend your eye contact to the back rows when you speak to a large group.  It won’t happen automatically.

“Make eye contact with one audience member long enough to finish a thought and then move on to someone else.”

This eye-contact advice is standard fair in many presentation skills workshops and books about public speaking.

It sounds good, but is it practical?  Every time I’ve tried it over the years I get the strong feeling I’m looking at individuals too long.  Maybe I just have long thoughts.

It feels more reasonable to look at an individual just long enough for it to register that you are connecting with them.  I sometimes say it is that point where “I know that you know that we both know that I’m looking at you.”  That’s enough.

The point is to give more than fleeting eye contact without lingering so long it becomes a stare.  Stares usually mean either aggression or affection.  If you don’t want a fight or a date it’s best to move on to another audience member.