Eye contact is a tiny promise that you’re actually here.

Looking at somebody while they speak is a small constant signal that you have not left. It says the rest of the room is not more interesting than they are, which is a surprisingly rare thing to be told. Nobody mentions it when they get it and everybody feels it when they do not. The promise is tiny and it is still a promise.

Practise in low-stakes places this week: a cashier, a teacher, a grandparent. No need to stare, since looking up when they speak and away when you think is plenty. If eye contact is genuinely hard for you, turning your body towards someone says the same thing.