Good eye contact will automatically make you look more confident and show you are paying attention. But what is good eye contact? Depending on who you ask, the answer will be different. Some say about 40% – 60% of the time while others say 70% of the time. The correct answer? I will let you know when I find out.

However, I think the real answer is based on the goal. Keeping your eyes on the person, close to eye level the majority of the time will show that you are paying attention to what is being said. This is perfect for business. Letting your eyes drift down towards the mouth occasionally indicates that you are more interested in them as a person. Save this for social settings when you want to get to know someone better. And you can tell the other person is receptive to the idea. The lower the eyes drift onto the body the more intimate the attention. This kind of attention can make someone uncomfortable and should be reserved accordingly.