When writers are pitching a screenplay or novel or anything else to someone in person, should they maintain eye contact in order to be more persuasive?
Certainly we’ve been taught that eye contact and a firm handshake are our best tools for winning someone over (other than the content, of course).
However, researchers at the University of Freiburg say eye contact may make people more resistant, not less, especially when they are already skeptical.
Science Daily put it this way: “While eye contact may be a sign of connection or trust in friendly situations, it's more likely to be associated with dominance or intimidation in adversarial situations.”
In pitching, the moral may be to increase eye contact if you sense the person is hooked, decrease if they are skeptical.