Stand Up and–Toast! Making Eyes at Your Audience

Sometimes the idea of "public speaking" is enough to make you to throw all common sense out the window. But – if you think about it, isn't public speaking just a conversation on a larger scale? Common sense very much applies.

Consider nervousness. One of the main symptoms is the same in both situations: a reluctance to look your conversation partner in the eye. I once worked with someone who only stared at my chin, and it always made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Nervousness might motivate you to look at your fingernails in a casual setting, and to focus on your notes or your slides in a formal presentation.  

Eye contact is one of the primary ways we connect with each other, whether in a one-on-one conversation or when speaking to a group. And tricks such as looking at the back wall don’t fool anyone: you are simply looking over your audience’s heads! These tactics will only alienate them. And if you are not looking, you may not even realize it.

How can you practice eye contact?

First, look up. While that may sound scary, put yourself in the position of your audience. When you attend a presentation, you don't feel acknowledged when the speaker addresses his or her shoes. When you speak, focus on conveying your information. Think of it as a conversation.

If you are speaking to a small group, look each attendee in the eye. That does not mean that you should stare anyone down! The general rule of thumb is to look at one person for the time it takes you complete a thought or a sentence, which is a few seconds. Once you have presented that idea, move on to another person.

Resist the urge to look at your audience in a round-robin method. Instead, switch back and forth between the front and the back, the right and the left of the room. It will keep your audience on their toes, and will ultimately be more natural. If you are standing in a circle of friends, you don't look at them from left to right in a circle, but vary your focus between individuals. 

If you are speaking to a large group, you will not have the chance to look at each person. Instead, pick audience members in different sections of the room to address for each thought. Also, each time you look to the right, don't focus on the same person exclusively, but make eye contact with someone else. 

Finally, if you are looking at someone who is busy texting during your talk, don't take it personally. Do what you would do in conversation: ignore them!

To practice eye contact, find a Toastmasters club near you! 
http://www.d4tm.org/Membership/findingClub.php