The Key to Effective Communication Skills

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Good Communication Equals Good Eye Contact

Eye contact for more effective communication skills
Eye contact – a part of effective communication skills!

Today, I have two words to share with you … Effective Communication. What
often makes a difference between getting your point across or not, is the way you
look at people…which is a vital part of effective communication skills.

As a former television news anchor, reporter and talk show host, followed by a speaking career as well as coaching people to make better presentations, I have seen the magic and good fortune that targeted, comfortable eye contact brings to the presenter.

Have you ever noticed that when you talk to someone, they seem to look every place but at you?  A common complaint of poor communication is that some has poor eye contact.

Poor Eye Contact Includes

  1. Their eyes may be jetting quickly back and forth.
  2. They look down at the floor.
  3. They look up at the ceiling.
  4. They look any place but at you. This can happen for many reasons:
    1. They are nervous.
    2. They have been taught to never look at anyone in the eye culturally.
    3. They are uncertain of what they are saying.
    4. They feel they are being more humble by not looking directly at you

Conclusions Made About Poor Eye Contact

The truth is we draw our own conclusions.  Here is a quick list of conclusions that people may come to if the speaker’s eye contact is not good.

  1. The speaker may not be telling the truth because they refuse to look at us.
  2. The speaker has poor self-esteem.
  3. The speaker doesn’t know what they are talking about.
  4. The speaker is lying.
  5. The speaker is feeling uncomfortable for some reason.

It is possible that all, some, or none of these mentioned conclusions are the reality? What is reality is how we feel about the someone’s eyes meet up with us when they are speaking. We expect someone to look at us squarely in the eye and tell us the truth. Not to stare us down. Just look at us and speak their truth. Often, this is easier said than done.

Consider This For More Effective Communication Skills …

To enhance your eye contact, please avoid the items mentioned above under poor eye contact and to further help you out, in my next blog post, look for an easy exercises to help you with your eye contact.

See more blog postings here!