Media Training Worldwide

Keep ‘Em Awake With Eye Contact

Let’s face it, we’ve all started to nod off while listening to a speaker, no matter how interesting the presentation. As a speaker, this can be disconcerting. You may be tempted to walk over the offending sleeper, shake him by the labels and say, “wake up you knucklehead!” But that wouldn’t be polite.

I have found the most effective and yet subtle technique is to give the sleepy person longer eye contact than usual. Look at the person for an entire thought, plus a second or two. Of course you don’t want to look at this person to the exclusion of others in the room, but just enough to put a temporary spotlight on the drowsy one. That spotlight of your eyes will make the person just uncomfortable enough that sleep will seem less appealing.

If you feel the speaker in the room is looking right at you, it can make you slightly nervous. And if nervous, you aren’t going to want to sleep.

So look at the sleepy heads with your most direct eye contact possible, and you will see less of their eyelids and more of their heads nodding in agreement with your points.