In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of eye contact for high school students and provide a no-prep activity for educators to use in their classrooms. Eye contact is an essential component of effective communication, as it helps convey attentiveness and interest in what others are saying. By teaching students to maintain eye contact when speaking and listening, we can promote better understanding and stronger relationships.

No-Prep Activity: The Eye Contact Challenge

This activity requires no preparation or materials, making it easy for educators to incorporate into their lessons. Here’s how it works:

1. Divide the students into pairs and have them sit facing each other.
2. Ask one student in each pair to share a story or recent experience for one minute while their partner listens.
3. The listener should maintain eye contact with the speaker throughout the entire story, without looking away.
4. After one minute, have the students switch roles and repeat the process.
5. Once both students have completed the activity, encourage them to discuss their experiences and feelings during the challenge.

Discussion Questions

Use these questions to stimulate further discussions about the importance of eye contact:

• How did it feel to maintain eye contact with your partner while they were speaking?
• How did it feel when your partner maintained eye contact with you while you were speaking?
• Why do you think eye contact is important in communication?
• Can you think of a situation where maintaining eye contact might be challenging? How might you handle it?
• How can we practice and improve our eye contact skills in everyday situations?

Related Skills

In addition to eye contact, there are several other skills that contribute to effective communication. Some of these include:

• Active listening
• Nonverbal communication (body language, facial expressions, gestures)
• Empathy and understanding others’ emotions
• Asking open-ended questions
• Expressing thoughts and feelings clearly

Next Steps

Teaching students the importance of eye contact is a crucial step in helping them develop strong communication skills. To access more resources and activities that promote social-emotional learning, sign up for free samples at EverydaySpeech.com. By incorporating these materials into your classroom, you can help students build the skills they need to succeed in both their personal and professional lives.