Visual contact

If someone avoids looking us in the eye while we talk, we can sense that they are not interested in what we are saying. Our gaze reveals our interests and emotions, and if someone does not look directly at us, it may appear that they are not engaged with what we are expressing. This is especially important to keep in mind during a speech.

You make an excellent connection with your audience when you look them directly in the eye rather than being distracted by reading notes or looking down at the floor.

Connection: By establishing a strong connection with the audience, distractions are minimized and attention is increased. This creates an environment conducive to active listening and decreases undesirable behavior, mumbling or use of mobile devices. By attending to the needs and interests of the audience, a strong bond between the speaker and the audience is achieved.

There are different types of eye contact that can help us achieve this goal. For example, sustained and intentional contact involves seeking and maintaining the attention of our interlocutor. Isn't that the main objective?

What the audience interprets: Inconsistent, avoidant eye contact can have a negative response from the audience. General disinterest can cause a stir and make the audience feel ignored. This behavior occurs when the speaker is:

• Reading all the time.

• Reciting the speech from memory and going so far as to repeat phrases to remember what comes next.

• Looking at a fixed point in the background to appear calm.

• Looking down at the floor or avoiding eye contact with the audience.

At times, the speaker may focus on a single individual and not pay attention to the rest of the audience. As a result, the other attendees may believe that only that person is important and deserves to be heard.

In addition, the individual in question may feel uncomfortable being the focus of the entire audience.

Keep in mind that:

• It is not good to focus too much or too little on any one person.

• It is important to put yourself in the other person's shoes and think about how he or she would feel.

Sustained gaze: Some studies suggest that a gaze should last between 2 and 4 seconds so as not to be uncomfortable or threatening to the person you are addressing. Therefore, proper eye contact consists of:

• Trying to maintain an adequate attention span, in this case, around 3 seconds.

• Being aware that we tend to look frequently at those who show interest and making an effort to distribute our gaze evenly to everyone present.

Proper eye contact: An example of how public speaking can be powerful is Oprah's speech To make good use of eye contact, it is important to:

• Communicate with your audience by putting emphasis on your words, as if you were chatting with a friend and sharing some important information with them.

• Avoid thinking too much about the steps to follow or what you have to do in order not to produce some discomfort or nerves.

• If you feel uncomfortable looking directly at someone, you can try focusing on a point below their eyes or in the space between their eyebrows. This will avoid intimidation.

A good communicator: In the beginning, a good communicator must meet certain expectations:

• Get straight to the point and not stray from the main topic.

• Speak clearly and concisely about the topic at hand.

• Do not argue unnecessary elements that in no way develop the objective you are pursuing.

• Possess a wide vocabulary.

• Know how to control your emotions in order to transmit positive emotions.

• Act with serenity in the face of interventions that are not to their liking.

It is essential to reinforce expectations from the beginning of the speech. It is crucial to avoid showing signs of nervousness, such as:

• Stuttering or slurred speech.

• Constantly looking down.

• Slouching or adopting a closed posture.

• Showing anxiety, shortness of breath or rapid, heavy breathing.
• Trembling hands.

• When you feel comfortable and confident, you can try focusing your gaze from the top of your forehead to just before the tip of your nose.

Final Tips: In this final section, we offer you some practical tips to improve your presentation and better connect with your audience. Some of these tips include:

• When walking, walk naturally and approach your audience. Make sure your movements are slow and balanced as you speak.

• When changing from one topic to another, mark your position and move naturally. This helps stimulate kinesthetic learning and information retention by keeping the mind active and entertained.

• When finishing or starting a sentence, keep your eyes on a specific group of people to further engage them in your talk.