According to Michael Ellsberg, author of “The Power of Eye Contact: Your Secret for Success in Business, Love, and Life,” making eye contact is the most important kind of body language to master. We spoke to him about his book and how to conquer this skill for career success.
Is eye contact more important than body language?
Eye contact is a form of body language, but eye contact is regarded as the most important form of body language. So if you don’t get the eye contact just right, everything else is kind of thrown off.
You mention in your book the phrase “eyes glazed over.” Why is this look so detrimental to work?
This is a very important point especially for people who are dealing with customers. I was in a store the other day and the woman was helping me and she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. [When you’re at work], it’s so easy to communicate a lack of care or a lack of interest just with one glance.
How does one become the center of attention?
People are naturally drawn to giving people. So imagine you’re at a party and there is someone thinking, “Who is the highest status person in the room that I can associate with?” They probably aren’t the most attractive person in the room, whereas another person could think, “Okay, whose day can I make better? Who can I sparkle a little fun into their life?” That kind of attitude or energy is very attractive for both men and women.
