I’ve noticed that when I’m speaking with someone, whether its a stranger or a friend, I tend to look away from them when I’m speaking.
I will be talking for 30 seconds looking at them, then i’ll gaze away and I’ll look at something beside them, the floor etc, then back to them.
Sometimes I don’t notice myself doing it, but more often than not I’m actively aware of it. Is there a reason I do this? Is there anything I can do to help me maintain eye contact with them?
1 comment
Go with the 50/70 “rule” of eye contact. Make eye contact roughly 50% of the time when speaking and roughly 70% of the time when listening. Overall, I’d say don’t overthink it and just go with what feels natural. Most people won’t care unless you make too much eye contact, so it’s best to just do what you feel is natural to you specifically.
There was a guy I used to work with who would rarely ever make eye contact to the point it was noticeable, but everyone still liked him so it’s not a big deal if you don’t make “enough” eye contact.