Eye Contact Making

Do you avoid making eye contact with people?

If making direct eye contact with other people makes you queasy – it could be a problem. A lack of eye contact can suggest that you’re not to be trusted, have something to hide, or are just plain insecure. There are some tricks you can do to make eye contact a little more comfortable:

• Practice with TV. A news or talk show where the person is looking directly at you works the best to get in the habit of focusing on someone’s eyes.

• Practice in short bursts with people you will have brief contact with such as cashiers.

• If you feel uncomfortable – take a quiet deep breath – it really helps.

Keep it subtle – there’s a difference between eye contact and staring. If it’s one on one, break the stare by looking at the person’s hands for a moment and then reestablish the eye contact.