Explain why effective eye contact alternates between contact and release.
The move: use contact-and-release. Direct gaze is a strong social signal. It tells people you are with them, that the line is addressed to them, and that you are willing to be seen while saying it. That is why gaze supports rapport. But the same signal can become pressure when it never releases. A fixed stare asks the other person to hold continuous social intensity while also thinking, feeling, and responding. In hard conversations, that can feel like being pinned. Use three beats. First, contact: look at the person while they land the important point. Second, release: briefly look away…
Sign up free — one personalized lesson every day, matched to your role and goals.
Already have an account? Sign in