Eye contact is a powerful tool to connect with your audience, convey confidence and credibility, and keep them engaged. However, maintaining eye contact can be challenging, especially if you are nervous, distracted, or unsure of your content. In this article, you will learn some practical tips to improve your eye contact skills when presenting to senior stakeholders.
The first step to maintain eye contact is to know your content well. You don't need to memorize every word, but you should be familiar with the main points, the structure, and the transitions. This will help you avoid looking at your notes or slides too often, and focus more on your audience. You can also practice your presentation out loud, preferably in front of a mirror, a camera, or a friend, and get feedback on your eye contact.
Memorizing is a trap because it will take too much mental energy to remember everything you want to say. You won't have time to focus on making a connection with your audience using eye contact. Practice and keep a list of bullet points. This will give you time in the presentation to really warm to your audience.
What I’ve found helpful is: 1) Post a simple agenda for everyone 2) Put it in logical order of conversation 3) Don’t speak from a script This results in natural language because you’re speaking from the brain, not paper, and allows you to focus on the audience.
Maintaining eye contact during a presentation is vital for connection. Ground yourself by focusing on key points and periodically making eye contact with different audience members. Avoid fixating on one person or looking over their heads. Use gestures to emphasize, but return to eye contact. Break the room into sections, rotating attention. Embrace pauses to connect individually. Practice builds confidence, making sustained eye contact a natural, impactful part of your presentation style.
The second step to maintain eye contact is to scan the room and make eye contact with different people in the audience. You can use the 50/70 rule, which means that you should make eye contact with 50% of the people in the room for 70% of the time. You can divide the room into four quadrants, and look at one person in each quadrant for about three to five seconds, before moving to the next one. This will help you create a sense of connection and rapport with your audience, and avoid staring at one person or spot.
The third step to maintain eye contact is to use gestures and pauses to enhance your message and expression. You can use your hands, facial expressions, and body language to emphasize key points, show emotion, and invite feedback. You can also use pauses to create suspense, signal a change of topic, or give yourself and your audience a break. When you pause, you can look away briefly, but make sure to resume eye contact when you speak again. This will help you avoid filler words, add variety and interest to your presentation, and show confidence and professionalism.
Pauses, in particular, are a great time to connect with the audience. Hit a key point. Pause. Smile. Look at someone in the audience. They will smile back. You've made a connection, not just with that person but everyone in the audience.
The fourth step to maintain eye contact is to manage your anxiety and overcome any fears or discomforts that may prevent you from looking at your audience. You can use some relaxation techniques, such as breathing deeply, stretching, or visualizing a positive outcome, before and during your presentation. You can also remind yourself of your purpose, your value, and your audience's needs and expectations, and focus on delivering your message rather than on yourself. You can also smile, be friendly, and show enthusiasm and passion for your topic. This will help you reduce your stress, boost your self-esteem, and increase your credibility and likability.
Nervousness and anxiety are adrenaline from your flight or fight response. First, change your perspective. The adrenaline is there to help you perform at your best, not get in the way. Depending on how your anxiety manifests, there are several different techniques you can use: * Heart Racing - Deep breathing * Jittery - Stretch or make big movements if you can or incorporate movement into your presentation * Flushed or Sweating - Hold something cold in your hand * Worrying about Failure - Bring yourself into the moment by making small talk with someone
The fifth step to maintain eye contact is to adapt to the situation and the feedback you receive from your audience. You may need to adjust your eye contact depending on the size, the format, the culture, and the mood of the audience. For example, if you are presenting to a large group, you may need to look at the back of the room more often, or use a pointer or a laser to direct their attention. If you are presenting online, you may need to look at the camera more often, or use the chat or the poll features to interact with your audience. If you are presenting to a different culture, you may need to research their eye contact norms and preferences, and respect their boundaries. If you are presenting to a bored or hostile audience, you may need to use more eye contact to regain their attention and trust, or use more questions and stories to engage them. This will help you tailor your presentation to your audience, and achieve your objectives and outcomes.
For live audiences, I like to ask questions to get audience participation. This brings you into the moment and forces you to focus on someone in the audience. For virtual audiences, you really have to warm to your camera. You'll need to look at your screen, but when you really want to make a key point, look directly at your camera. It will take practice to warm to it (we're used to looking at people), but it's worth the effort. Pro tip: It can help to draw a smiley face on a sticky note and attach it to your camera to remind you to look at it and smile!
The sixth and final step to maintain eye contact is to review and improve your performance and skills. You can ask for feedback from your audience, your colleagues, or your mentors, and identify your strengths and areas of improvement. You can also watch a recording of your presentation, and analyze your eye contact patterns and behaviors. You can then set some goals and action plans to work on your eye contact skills, and practice them regularly. This will help you measure your progress, celebrate your achievements, and become a more effective and confident presenter.
Recording yourself is the gold standard and so easy to do in a virtual environment! Watch the recording and see how you really come across. Nothing is hidden and all those times you check your computer screen or phone will be obvious. You'll also notice that you almost never make "eye" contact since you'll be staring at the person's face instead of the camera. With even a little practice, you can improve this 10X.