“Effective business networking depends on effective eye contact.” —Dr. Ivan Misner, author of Masters of Networking “ The Power of Eye Contact is a must-read book if you want a lasting relationship—or want to deepen the one you’re in.” —Marie Forleo, author Make Every Man Want You “Both mysterious and rewarding, the text reveals the powerful secrets of using the eyes to connect with others.” —Rom Brafman, co-author of The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior The secret to success in business, love, and life is The Power of Eye Contact. Author Michael Ellsberg provides an authoritative and extensive guide to mastering a potent force that can change your life.
I decided to read this because I read an interesting article on Tim Ferriss' blog about eye contact that was guest written by this author. The article was fascinating and made some good points. I realized Ellsberg also was the author of another recent book that I planned to read - The Education of Millionaires. That book is about highly successful people unburdened by a college diploma. As I'm completely over-educated with an abundance of college credits but no degree, (I never picked a major because I had too many interests)the idea of such a book appealed to me.
So I'm really quite annoyed that this book on Eye Contact stunk as much as it did. I realize that sounds harsh, but this book deserves the criticism. I have a really hard time NOT finishing a book. I don't have a normal relationship with books, I tend to devour them whole. Even if it's dreadful, some punishing part of myself forces me to trudge onward and finish.
That said, I gave up about 30 pages from the ending and skimmed.
My initial worry was, would the subject of eye contact really have enough content to justify I book? The answer, at least for this author, is a resounding NO. Every interesting tidbit found in this book was something I read previously in that brief blog post I mentioned earlier. In fact, in many ways the post was better.
With an absence of content or real thought on the subject, the author instead resorts to filler. He interviews a bunch of people with some passing semblance of expertise in the area, and just dumps their quotes into the chapters verbatim. He references so many other books, that it becomes annoying....especially as the ideas he's pulling from these other references are usually not at all that interesting or on topic. It's a lazy move. I feel like he was just filling pages. If you took out all the direct quotes, snippets of poems, and lengthy passages of books he quoted, his actual writing probably would only fill 40 pages or so.
You know it's getting bad when the author has to quote from his own father, who wrote a book that had nothing to do about eye contact. At that point I was really rolling my eyes and was assured we had reached bottom, but no, he later quotes his mom as well. Seriously?
He frequently brings up his fiance mostly just to remind us he has one, because rarely do the stories involving her add anything to the point he's writing about. He comes off like lovesick puppy eager to show off his conquest. Who cares?
Most annoying though was his habit of self-reverentially telling us he was writing this book...using sentences like "As someone writing a book on eye contact, I thought this was insightful". (That's a paraphrase, not an actual quote, but you get the picture.) He also frequently would justify going off-topic by using clever devices such as "you may wonder what this has to do with eye contact" followed by a bunch of gibberish that didn't justify the diversion at all. Again, lazy, exhausting writing. I felt embarrassed for the guy.
The book is full of contradictions, poorly executed thoughts, and many digressions that seem utterly pointless. I finally reached a point of annoyance where I realized it wasn't worth my time to finish the book - I had already wasted too much time hoping the author would redeem himself at some point.
I get the overwhelming feeling this is an individual who's read so many books he feels like it's his turn to cash in and write his own. The fact that he didn't really have anything to say or a subject that was deep enough for meaningful, insightful research wasn't going to be enough to stop him. It should have.
The book closes with an epilogue revealing that during the course of writing this book, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He says over the course of dealing with this he realized that "I have written all kinds of things that, in the hindsight of months or years, seemed frivolous, trivial, or irreverent." I had to snort at this point and think to myself "like this book, for example?" He goes on to say that he's figured out how to weigh his writing's worth by judging if others find it useful, not just when things are going well, but when life is throwing lemons. He then decides *he* has deemed it worthy because of the power of the gaze his fiance gave him when coming out of surgery. This whole story comes off so phoney and cheesy. I can only take it as a feeble attempt to justify the disaster on the pages that preceded it.
This is one of my great Value Village finds. The donor would have greater served the community by donating this book to the garbage can. This book was cheesy, annoying, boring, lame, pointless and not insightful. I retract that last comment. One of those gross, creepy, socially retarded F-ups that end up committing murder suicide at their place of work might get something out of this book -- _MIGHT_, I said, no guarantees. I regret reading this piece of fluff. Anything else I could have been doing with my time would have brought me more personal growth than reading this book. If you`re thinking about giving "The Power of Eye Contact" a go, go to the bathroom, take pictures of yourself plucking your own ass hairs out with your teeth and upload them to X Tube; I guarantee you'll sleep better with that decision.
This book is easy to read and full of useful tips spanning a range of common scenarios. The end of it became too spiritual for me, but even those chapters left me seeing the world a little differently.
A litte bit light on actual scientific content. More about fluffy narratives and rehashing the same story about meeting the love of his life after doing some eye-contact practices.
Basically, this could have been a blog post, with a couple paragraphs for each interview, but instead the author chose to write an entire book, and run circles around the topic.
The content becomes extremely fluffy (esoteric and hyperbole) when we get into the spiritual gurus, and various religious references of eye-contact.
I give this 4 stars, simply because if you read this long enough, then you will be more likely to implement solid eye-contact into your daily routine from 'atleast' the osmosis of constantly reading the word "Eye-contact" over and over.
When he looked at me, I felt like we were the only people in the room re Bill Clinton Laser-focus eye contact re Richard Branson Everybody wants to be seen, however we live in a world where it’s very hard to be seen as there’s so much competing for everyone else’s attention. To feel like someone is actually stopping and taking the time to see you is actually a profound experience for people.
Eye contact is important, as it makes others feel a connection, the book is written by a salsa dancer who noticed the most memorable enjoyable dances held the best exciting eye contact. “When a dancer is happy, the darkest brown eyes (which can even appear jet black in a nightclub) can shine like a strobe light in the dark club.” The correlation between happiness and sparkling eyes was even noted by Charles Darwin in his lessor known book Expression of The Emotions in Man and Animals. Malcolm Gladwell also refers to our capacity to infer the emotional states of others intuitively as “mind reading.” Mind reading via people’s expressions is a crucial and automatic skill to navigate the social world and eye contact is key here. Eye contact signals attention. If you’re looking at my eyes, it signals to me that you’re paying attention. If you’re not, it signals you’re not paying attention. Lots of people are eye shy – you can improve your eye contact by looking at the eyes of every person walking toward you long enough to see their eye colour, then look away. Other ways to improve your eye contact are to make deliberate longer eye contact during conversations with friends, family members, co-workers, and other people you know. Brief eye contact with others you don’t know yet and longer eye contact with waiters, service and sales people - they may appreciate it as may perceive you are paying attention to them. When make deliberate eye contact try to holding a nice soft gaze. Distinguishes “involvement”—a healthy engagement with the eyes—from “intimacy” or “intimidation,” both of which are the result of too much eye contact. Direct eye contact can be associated with either aggression or seduction, which isn’t what you may want. Just let your face relax and let your eyes do the talking, it is not necessary to smile. Keep a “soft gaze.”Embracing gaze has a soft focus, relaxed facial muscles, soft smile, you can try practising this in every social interaction throughout your day. This can have great benefits on your sociability. Eye gazing parties and workshops have been set up by the author in which you just look into strangers eyes and often feel a deep connection, by establishing these he became an expert. Perhaps these might be ongoing as ideal for social distancing! In part eye gazing workshops are effective as they rely upon emotional contagion. We have mirror neurons allow you to synchronise emotions of how others are feeling at a larger scale these can sweep through a crowd within moments.
Break your eye contact laterally, not vertically, not by looking down. Why? Typically the lower-status individual in any interaction breaks eye contact first by looking down; this is as true in humans as in other primates. This is the classic “look of shame.” It communicates “You win; you’re better than me; you have more power than me.”
Eye contact is like a dance, break it and increase it accordingly. With eye contact you feel closer to people. The key is that if you start increasing eye contact, and you don’t want the other person to feel trapped or uncomfortable, you’ll need to balance that out by moderating other factors influencing social space, such as physical distance.
Mentions a bit about dating and claims the good men are picked up with proactive eye contact by women, a man who comes up directly is not a good man.
On another note not directly relating to eye contact when networking most of these egomonsters can’t hold a connection for more than a few seconds before they start scanning the room for someone more important to talk to than the person right in front of them. So instead of thinking ‘what can I get out of this person?’ or ‘are they worth speaking to?’ instead consider asking yourself the question ‘what can I give this person?’ and do that for every one. This might be more effective as by giving everyone your attention, your presence, and your warmth, people appreciate you, remember you and might actually help you or introduce you to someone who is helpful.
When Public speaking make eye contact with everyone—except in one circumstance: if you are tripping up. Then, connect and reconnect as much as possible with the friendly faces in the crowd. There might be some unfriendly faces in the audience but they may just be intense face when listening.
Across different cultures different levels of eye contact are seen as normal. But just remember eye contact involves two willing partners. If you are the only willing partner, that is called staring and nobody likes the feeling of being stared at. So, if you’re talking with someone who for whatever reason, cultural or personal does not feel comfortable with eye contact, it does little good to ram it down their eyes in the name of connecting with them or projecting confidence. Each of us has our own comfort zone regarding how much eye contact feels right to us. When two people make eye contact, you both open only as far as the person who is able to open the least is able to go.
Insightful book on the ins and outs of eye contact, what makes for effective eye contact and how to build your skills and use them to enhance your communication and relationships. I did not read it fully cover to cover but skimmed through some of the sections to get the gist.
Pretty slow start for a self-help book. The author talks about his fiance way too much--to the point that it makes the reader embarrassed for him. I intend to keep reading though as I expect there to be some helpful information/tools further in.
It had some good parts to improve eye contact, but otherwise it wasn't well written and wasn't substantive enough. It's basically a long blog post. Won't read again.
- The Clinton eye: the secret is simply he spends way more time engaging on eye contact than normal person, and he "seals the deal" by glancing you back couple steps after he leaves you, making you think he is actually "in love with you" and "would absolutely call you back"
- Eye contact and love: strong eye contact shows confidence in oneself and easiness in one's own skin.
- Eye contact and approach: "you have two jobs - to feel out her boundaries and respect them, and also to increase connection if you sense that's where she wants the interaction to go". Simply that you want to be on the sweet spot between just enough tension and right before excessive amount of tension
- "Eye gazing allows us to see the emotional essence of a person in immediate, full-screen, high definition, high resolution"
An interesting and sometimes humorous collection of theories on the power of eye contact. I thought it was a bit simplistic at times, although he does seem well researched. I thought there would be more emphasis on the success in business section but it appears that the entire first half of the book is geared to success in dating. As a longtime married woman, I felt this part of the book as not as useful. I do believe that Ellsberg has honed in one some valid observations, particularly near the end when he discusses eye contact in relation to psychology, spirituality and self awareness.
Some of the book kind of is irrelevant and the writing style kind of loses the reader but the points he makes are valid and explains what eye contact really is, what it means, what it does, and how to use it. I don't disagree with anything the writer says, mostly because it's stuff you kind of have the same thoughts but he puts it into words. If you're not good with eye contact already, or need some dating ,or charisma help, this will definitely put one piece of the puzzle together.
Really interesting book, besides the obvious eye contact discussions the author goes beyond to discuss implications of eye contact, how to leverage them, many examples in different situations etc. Well researched and very detailed, enjoyed the depth of information gained from this read, definitely a reference keeper!
Parts of this book definitely fell into “this could have been an essay” territory, but much of it was interesting, enlightening, yet also practical. Great use of guest interview to capture expertise and other voices.
Although the writer seem to repeat many ideas again and again the book talks about a very important topic and it is an eye opener to many situations , so yeah it was worth reading
I actually enjoyed this book, and I've read several books that focus on the importance of eye contact. I got to say that this is the best so far. Nice job!
This is a really good book and opened my eyes to a new way of thinking and interacting with issues and myself. Excited to put some of these exercises to use!
It is a comprehensive guide to the art of eye communication, showing how using the eyes intelligently can enhance charisma, confidence, and attractiveness.
The Power of Eye Contact does not merely list a series of useful "tips and tricks". Instead, it promotes a philosophy (of sorts); a way of interacting and really caring about other people. The objective is not to relentlessly hold eye contact with others (this WILL freak most people out!), but to attain a comfortable level of eye contact. Micheal Ellsberg frequently refers to eye contact as a "dance", and in many ways, this is accurate. It is not a one-sided affair; it is a give-and-take.
The final chapter of this book is, in my opinion, the most beneficial. Here, Ellsberg outlines both an exercise to develop self-acceptance and an eye-gazing exercise with Number 1 - yourself! Self-acceptance and learning to look at yourself seem, to me, to be a prerequisite for developing strong connections with others. If we can accept ourselves and can look at ourselves in the mirror, then we can begin to extend this to others.
The Power of Eye Contact is about building connections with others; and our connection to others is founded upon empathy, acceptance, and understanding.
There are a few sentences on the back cover of this book which really capture the overall idea and benefits of reading about eye contact:
You meet more people.
Your connections deepen with family, friends, and business prospects.
This book starts out with a promising start, relaying stories about Bill Clinton's legendary eye contact, which quickly segues into the type of primordial evolutionary anaylysis of eye contact's significance that I'm always a sucker for. There's also some interesting tidbits on the minutae of effective eye contact: e.g. always look off to the side (right or left) when breaking eye contact with strangers, as looking down is a sign of submission, and we don;t want to get into the habit of submitting.
Frustratingly, the book dissolves into way too many personal anecdotes and generic, contradictory and sometimes barely relevant interviews. The chaptor on eye contact for business situations, which I was most interested in, was mostly a wash. I wanted more science, less personal anecdotes and personal interviews.
I recommend reading the first 3 chapters and putting it back on the shelf.
This book covers bits of evolution, body language and neurology to explain social intelligence through eye contact. The idea is that our eyes are an essential source of information for yourself and others and serve a crucial role in building relationships and emotional synchrony in business, courtship, public speaking and so on—moreover, provides insights into the opposite sex’s psychology. I disagree with reviews affirming the book could’ve been covered in a few pages due to repetitiveness. Eye contact is not that profound, and the writer has done well too split the book into chapters for several tools and insights while putting together a fascinating read. I would certainly suggest this book to those who are a little eye shy, those wanting better rapport building skills or better non-verbal communication since it delivers detailed, actionable steps to encourage both beginners and experienced.
Good information for delving into the subject of eye contact. If you are like me and had a military father who was always like "Look me in the eye when I'm talking to you" growing up - well, when you become an adult male - you are somewhat frightened to look people in the eye - due to your screwed-up upbringing. And I know that in some countries it is an honorable trait to look down when others are speaking - but not in America. So, I really had to work at building my eye contact confidence back up in college. With a little work - and reading this helpful book - you will definitely improve.
Decent insight into the power and importance of eye contact. Focuses a bit more on romantic encounters than business relationships but there is something to be gained here for every reader. As someone who often does not do eye contact well I found this book helpful and feel like there are practical things I can do to increase my eye contact skills. Obviously a fairly limited topic but it is a quick read.
These 300+ pages could be trimmed down to a 2 page blogpost. It comes down to some basics tips and insights into (the powers of) eye contact. No revealing stuff that will blow your mind.
Biggest problem of this book is the tone of voice. Teh author is this PC guy where every goes. He doesn't take a view point (sic!) of his own. He goes into detail on how he contacted his interviewees, how great his life is, talks about his boring relationship and urgh. You just wanna punch the guy. Zero stars!
This was sporadically insightful and interesting while being the ridiculous self-help book its cover betrays it to be. Overall, the earnestness of the author earned it a third star. Some of the best stuff near the end will not be reached by most.