Eye Contact and Nonverbal Communication 
Running head: EYE CONTACT AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Eye Contact and Nonverbal Communication
Amy Wofford
ENG 223 Jolynne Berrett
Eye Contact and Nonverbal Communication Eye contact is one of the forms of nonverbal communication. In my opinion, it is one of the most important. The face and eyes are what people first see when communicating with each other. Our eyes and ears take in information first before anything else. When speaking with another person, in order for them to understand what you are saying, or where you are coming from (implied meaning) eye contact is a must. This establishes a relationship with the person that is listening. Communication experts generally agree that when two people are engaged in a face-to-face conversation, only a small fraction of the total message they share is contained in the words they use (Preston, 2005). Verbal communication means nothing without the nonverbal components. According to the Nonverbal Communication Portal (NVC.2015), “Eye contact is empowering, and because of the natural communicative signals that it sends to the other parties, maintaining it facilitates effective communication.” Maintaining eye contact with coworkers within the work place will help to attract respect and maintain professionalism. There is a difference in the way that someone makes eye contact with someone else. Making eye contact when speaking, to someone in the work place, is appropriate. However, strong eye contact could portray someone 's arrogance, overconfidence and could be seen as aggression (NVC, 2015). Strong eye contact is when you stare at someone, sometimes unblinking, this is sometimes known as the “death stare” and can be considered as a sign of aggression, or disrespect. In the United States eye contact is usually associated with a level of confidence a person might have. In other parts of the world maintaining eye contact with someone does not mean the same as it does in the United States. In Asia and
Eye Contact and Nonverbal Communication
Amy Wofford
ENG 223 Jolynne Berrett
Eye Contact and Nonverbal Communication Eye contact is one of the forms of nonverbal communication. In my opinion, it is one of the most important. The face and eyes are what people first see when communicating with each other. Our eyes and ears take in information first before anything else. When speaking with another person, in order for them to understand what you are saying, or where you are coming from (implied meaning) eye contact is a must. This establishes a relationship with the person that is listening. Communication experts generally agree that when two people are engaged in a face-to-face conversation, only a small fraction of the total message they share is contained in the words they use (Preston, 2005). Verbal communication means nothing without the nonverbal components. According to the Nonverbal Communication Portal (NVC.2015), “Eye contact is empowering, and because of the natural communicative signals that it sends to the other parties, maintaining it facilitates effective communication.” Maintaining eye contact with coworkers within the work place will help to attract respect and maintain professionalism. There is a difference in the way that someone makes eye contact with someone else. Making eye contact when speaking, to someone in the work place, is appropriate. However, strong eye contact could portray someone 's arrogance, overconfidence and could be seen as aggression (NVC, 2015). Strong eye contact is when you stare at someone, sometimes unblinking, this is sometimes known as the “death stare” and can be considered as a sign of aggression, or disrespect. In the United States eye contact is usually associated with a level of confidence a person might have. In other parts of the world maintaining eye contact with someone does not mean the same as it does in the United States. In Asia and
References: Nonverbal Communication Portal, (2015) Eye Contact, Google Sites, Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/nonverbalcommunicationportal/forms-of-nonverbal-communication/eye-contact Preston, P. (2005) Nonverbal communication: Do you really say what you mean? Journal of Healthcare Management, 50(2), 83-6. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/206728725?accountid=41759