Stop looking at the floor mid-conversation. Train eye contact in 4 weeks.

Glancing at the floor, the wall, their forehead, their mouth. You can feel yourself avoiding. They can feel it too — even if they don't name it. People with poor eye contact are unconsciously rated as less competent, less honest, less trustworthy, in studies going back decades. It's the most visible confidence signal, and it leaks the most.

The internet is full of confidence gurus telling you to make more eye contact like that's a usable instruction. It isn't. Eye contact has specific mechanics — duration, breaks, where exactly on the face, the rhythm of speaking vs listening. Without those mechanics, 'try harder' turns into staring, which is worse than avoiding.

Zoom and Teams trained an entire generation to look at faces on screen, not at the camera lens. Now your eye contact reads as 'looking down' to whoever's on the other end. You can be doing it 'right' from your side and still come across as disengaged. Different rules — and nobody teaches them.

If your eyes go to the floor with authority figures specifically, the fix is different from someone who avoids it in dating, who is different from someone who darts during conflict. Your pattern is specific. Your solution should be too. A real plan starts with a clear read on YOUR pattern, not a generic '7 tips to better eye contact' listicle.