What is the importance of eye contact?

Keeping eye contact with the person you are talking to indicates interest and saying to the person “You are important and I am listening”. It is one of the “unseen” tools/ a very strong nonverbal communication tool used in any message or communication.

The old saying that “eyes are a reflection of your inner self” holds true in most cases. There are a lot of meanings to eye contact. It can be a glaring look when a person is defiant or angry.

A stare when we see something unusual about the person (staring obtrusively is rude).

 A glazed over look when we are hopelessly in love with the person. It can also be a direct look when we are talking and trying to make a point.

What our eyes mean in communication:   

In all instances we use our eyes as a level of communication with the other person. We also avoid a direct look from another person if we have something to hide.

Also sometimes a person feels uncomfortable looking another person in the eye due to shyness. This trait is also present with other signs of shyness such as a slight stammer and sometimes blushing. Otherwise it could just be that the person has a short attention span for anything you have to say.

Eye contact in events:

Our eyes also reflect our sincerity, integrity and comfort when communicating with another person. Which is why having good eye contact while conversing is the indication that the communication has gone on well. How is eye contact related to events? Well, events are a form and means of communication, be it to send out a message, to educate or even to introduce. A good event management company will realize that eye contact during communication and speech are important.

Eyes and the body language

Eye contact is a form of body language which is important during communication. How we present ourselves and communicate with others aside from talking is by our body language. Our body language speaks more than words which then logically accounts for a bigger percentage of our communication skills. Therefore our eyes speak volumes about us and how we communicate.

Some points to remember while communicating and why eye contact is important are:

·         Surprise!

·         Eye contact is a sign that you happen to be a good listener! Now what has the eye got to do with listening? When you keep eye contact with the person you are talking to it indicates that you are focused and paying attention. It means that you are actually listening to what the person has to say. That is where the saying “Don’t just listen with your ears” comes from. So “listen” more than talk, everyone loves a good listener especially the opposite gender!

·         Your eyes are a way of building a connection with the other person. This could mean you like that person. You feel comfortable talking and communicating with the person or you just are plain falling in love with the person! Either way, the eyes say it all.

·         Avoiding eye contact could also mean that you do not want the person you are speaking with to know too much. It could be that you may not like the person. You do not want the person to know you like them or you do not feel comfortable with that person. These are the negative impacts of avoiding eye contact. Sometimes the other person might read it wrongly and therefore produce a negative feeling towards you as well.

·         A big part of eye contact is building trust. A person with whom you are talking to will be more likely to trust and respect you as eye contact indicates an openness in communication. It also tells the other person “Hey, I am confident and self-assured, you can trust me”. So if you hope to land that big contract or project, be trust-worthy!

Practicing good eye contact is a skill for effective and vitalcommunication and is mostly under-rated and under-utilized. Keeping eye contact with the person you are talking to indicates interest and saying to the person “You are important and I am listening”. It is one of the “unseen” tools used in any event communication.

To summarize:

·       The lowering of the eyes can convey guilt or submission.

·       Lack of confidence or apprehensiveness can be displayed when you don’t look into another person’s eye.

·       One tends to blink more if nervous or is trying to evaluate the other person.

·       If you look directly into the other person’s eye you are displaying self-assurance.

·       Wide open eyes show interest in the subject or person.

·       Looking directly upwards can indicate that you are thinking.

·       If you are irritated with a comment made by the other person during the conversation, a common movement is to take a quick glance sideways.

·       Staring at someone can be an aggressive gesture.

·       Eye contact is generally broken if someone feels insulted by another person’s comment.

We at Gracious Avatar help you in developing your personality which will not only help you in short term but will stay with you for long term.