27/01/2026
The Eye Contact Mistakes Most Public Speakers Are Making
Do not skip this post!
I have heard a lot of public speaking myths from some of my students and clientele. One of them is, “maintaining eye contact with your audience increases your speech anxiety.”
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I don't know where people got this from.
However, from my experience as a public speaker and communications coach, one of the ways to boost your self-confidence and build a good relationship with your audience is to maintain good eye contact with them.
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Eye contact is one of the vital elements of speaking. An audience must feel interested in the speaker, and know the speaker cares about them.
Whether addressing an audience of 1000 or speaking across a “deuce” (table for two), eye contact solidifies the relationship between the speaker and the audience. Good eye contact takes practice. The best practice is to be able to scan the audience, making each member believe the speaker is speaking to him or her.
However, there are some eye contact failures:
🟢 Head Bobber: This person bobs his or her head, looking down at the notes and up to the audience in an almost rhythmic pattern.
🛑 Balcony Gazer: a person who looks over the heads of his or her audience to avoid looking at any individual.
🟢 The Obsessor: a person who looks at one or two audience members, or who only looks in one direction. .
The eyes are called the windows to the soul, and the importance of eye contact in communication cannot be overemphasised. Ideally, a speaker should include 80% to 90% of the delivery time with eye contact.
With good eye contact, the speaker can also observe and gauge the attention and response of the audience. This is part of the feedback process of communication. The idea is that the audience is not overly aware of the speaker using notes.
🟢𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁:
1. Practice your speech with a generous amount of eye contact by looking into your mirror or gazing at something when practising.
2. Know your speech well enough to only periodically (and quickly) glance at your notes.
3. Prepare your notes so they can be easily read and followed without hesitation.
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. ~ Colin Powell
I hope this helps.
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I am Itunuayo Lawal Olasunmibo. I help individuals ameliorate their English-speaking skills to boost their self-confidence as English users and to maintain their stance as professionals.
My teaching prowess revolves around Public Speaking, Diction and English grammar.
You are welcome to contact me for any of the above-mentioned.
🟢 Start by signing up for our forthcoming online English Grammar and Public Speaking masterclass, “Speak Like a Pro batch 19.”
Lessons begin February 1.
Refer to the comments for more details.
Itunuayo Lawal Olasunmibo
Your Go-to Grammar and Diction Coach
