Non-Verbal Communication: Eye Contact Avoidance

Video Transcript

"Ok I want to talk about eye avoidance and eye avoidance can be very, very bad and very, very distracting. This is when you are trying to have a conversation with a person and they won't look at you. In fact how would you feel if I did the rest of this video clip and I never looked up again? It would be very hard for you to establish a relationship with me because that's what eye contact does. Is it allows us to establish a relationship. Even though you're out there and I'm in here in this box we can still establish a relationship if I'm looking at you. There are numerous reasons that people do not make eye contact. But traditionally a lot of it has to do with self esteem and if they're lying. Another thing they do if they are lying is they always look to the left. They look away and look to the left. So eye contact is very important because if the person that you are talking to is not making eye contact with you, clearly you can't establish a relationship, but you also question deceit. Are they telling me the truth, what's going on with them? The only thing worse then eye avoidance is continued staring. I never, ever, ever take my eyes off of you. Maybe I never even blink. These are the two extremes of natural eye contact. So if you have issues looking at people making eye contact with them, I strongly encourage you to work on that. Because that has a lot to do with how they perceive you and the impression that you give. Also be very aware of the staring people down to the point like you're burning a hole through them with their eyes like I'm doing with you right now. That's making you feel uncomfortable isn't it, yeah. And that's what happens so don't do that."