Making eye contact when speaking to someone

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  1. ken2's Avatar
    • Exalted Member
    • Posts: 360
    Its atimes a bit weird. You dont always need to make eye contact.


    This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my GT-I9100
  2. Multitalented me's Avatar
    • Overlord in Training
    • Location: Some house | Posts: Too many
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    I only make eye contact with people I find attractive tbh otherwise I just feel awkward so I just try & look close to their face lol
  3. Dmon1Unlimited's Avatar
    • TSR Demigod
    • Posts: 6,673
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    I don't always look into people's eyes, it's not a self confidence thing to me
    Not sure why, I never really thought about it, maybe a little intimmedating
  4. JLXP's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Location: Cheshire
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    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    Ahh this thread has made me feel so bad about myself,
    i NEVER look anyone in the eyes for more than two seconds, i just feel so uncomfortable in doing so. I wish i could make eye contact with people whilst having conversations, i must look so rude :/
  5. lazershus's Avatar
    • Adored and Respected Member
    • Location: London
    • Posts: 563
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    i usually make eye contact with people but this is mostly if i actually like the person, and if i'm interested in the convo, if it's someone i feel to have slight superiority to me such as an authority figure like a teacher or something i tend to not look into their eyes as much and look away every now and then cos it feels a little awkward, especially when someone's giving a speech to an audience and they keep looking around the room and seem to stare at you i always feel when their gaze is about to shift to me so i look away on purpose, it's so uncomfortable for me, i don't even know why. :P
  6. Nirgilis's Avatar
    • Community Assistant
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    • TSR Demigod
    • Location: Yorkshire
    • Posts: 5,822
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    A lot of information can be obtained by looking at people in the eye. Hence I tend to avoid eye contact as it can be a bit of a sensory overload which acts (for me anyway) as a bit of a mental block. If I'm maintaining eye contact with you, it's because I'm interested in your reactions to my words.
  7. lali333's Avatar
    • Full Member
    • Location: Glasgow
    • Posts: 95
    (Original post by JLXP)
    Ahh this thread has made me feel so bad about myself,
    i NEVER look anyone in the eyes for more than two seconds, i just feel so uncomfortable in doing so. I wish i could make eye contact with people whilst having conversations, i must look so rude :/
    Aw no you shouldn't feel bad! As long as you speak to people I am sure you are not being not rude! I know how sometimes it can be awkward to look at someone for too long


    This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App
  8. RickVargas's Avatar
    • New Member
    • Posts: 4
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    (Original post by Nirgilis)
    If I'm maintaining eye contact with you, it's because I'm interested in your reactions to my words.
    Yes, this is a fundamental mechanism in human communication.
  9. JLXP's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Location: Cheshire
    • Posts: 1,672
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    (Original post by lali333)
    Aw no you shouldn't feel bad! As long as you speak to people I am sure you are not being not rude! I know how sometimes it can be awkward to look at someone for too long


    This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App
    Haha thanks , i'm almost dreading the day i will have to go out for a romantic meal for two and spend two hours trying to hold up a conversation with eye contact.
  10. Tackla's Avatar
    • Benevolent Member
    • Posts: 627
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    I never believed it before. But, the more confident you are the more eye contact you will make with people. Men or Women. As a boy I used to struggle to make eye contact with girls, as I have boosted by confidence I have noticed it has come naturally to me to make eye contact with them when I speak.
  11. ferduro's Avatar
    • New Member
    • Posts: 23
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    I make eye contact but i can't maintain for too long for some reason even if i am interested in what the person is saying.

    You're also more likely to stare into someone you like's eyes more intensely that normal.

    People who can maintain eye contact are usually confiden
  12. FrescoDiMorte's Avatar
    • Exalted Member
    • Location: London
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    Yeah I find it ridiculously hard to keep eye contact with someone, especially strangers or people I dont know that well. Sometimes when I lock eyes with people I immediately assume that they might think im abit of a weirdo or that im into them. Definately a lack of Confidence.
  13. lali333's Avatar
    • Full Member
    • Location: Glasgow
    • Posts: 95
    (Original post by JLXP)
    Haha thanks , i'm almost dreading the day i will have to go out for a romantic meal for two and spend two hours trying to hold up a conversation with eye contact.
    Well if you really like that person then you would WANT to spend all your time gazing into eachothers eyes lol!

    I remember when I was about 9, our class teacher made us pair up with a boy then told us to stare into eachothers eyes as you can imagine this was very awkward for all of us and no one managed it :/ I have no idea what the purpose of this was but she said "it doesn't feel right does it?" lol sorry went completely off track!


    This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App
  14. JLXP's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Location: Cheshire
    • Posts: 1,672
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    (Original post by lali333)
    Well if you really like that person then you would WANT to spend all your time gazing into eachothers eyes lol!

    I remember when I was about 9, our class teacher made us pair up with a boy then told us to stare into eachothers eyes as you can imagine this was very awkward for all of us and no one managed it :/ I have no idea what the purpose of this was but she said "it doesn't feel right does it?" lol sorry went completely off track!


    This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App
    Ha yeah i suppose you have a point, although i fear i would still feel uncomfortable with it!

    ahh i would hate that, but i suppose your teacher had a point!
  15. Jin3011's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Location: Karakura | Posts: ∞
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    I always maintain eye contact. I've seemed to have conditioned myself to do so even if lacking interest in a conversation. The only time my eyes are all over the place is when I'm bull-****ting :P.
  16. restoration's Avatar
    • Adored and Respected Member
    • Posts: 466
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    I used to really struggle with maintaining eye contact when talking to people.... But I am training as a nurse at the moment and have realised how important it is to look into someone's eyes it makes you look interested in what they're saying you can also tell how someone feels to a certain extent, I used to have very little confidence but have sort of come out my shell especially since I started training and yeah in just normal conversations I'll try to maintain eye contact now.
  17. Richardz's Avatar
    • Junior Member
    • Location: London
    • Posts: 56
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    I usually hold eye contact but look away once in a while if I'm thinking or there's a pause in the conversation. Too much eye contact for too long can be creepy I guess and if you don't hold any eye contact it might seem as you're bored, looking for something more interesting in the surrounding areas and it could make you seem a bit shifty!
  18. LordFishlock's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Posts: 170
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    Yes, but not staring out weirdly, just every now and then look away.
  19. Sem193's Avatar
    • Benevolent Member
    • Location: West Midlands
    • Posts: 876
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    I always make eye contact with people because I would feel like I'm being rude if I didn't look people in the eye. I give eye contact to teachers as well when they're teaching me. I not that self confident though, haha.
  20. BritGirl's Avatar
    • Adored and Respected Member
    • Posts: 503
    Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
    Most of the time I look into the person's eyes but every now and then I will briefly look somewhere else so it doesn't look like I'm trying to stare them out or anything...and I try not to focus on other parts of their face because I know I don't like it when people do it to me. Looking into the eyes makes it look like you are actually taking in what the person is saying but as somebody else said above, the eyes also allow you to guess what the person is thinking/feeling.
    After a bit though if I stare too long into the eyes I start to wonder if I'm focusing more on the left eye or the right one and I start to feel a bit awkward
    Last edited by BritGirl; 17-07-2012 at 23:16.
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