To make natural eye contact on video calls, look at your camera lens — not the faces on your screen — when you're the one speaking, and glance back at the screen when you're listening. The trick that makes it feel natural rather than robotic is to move the window of the person you're talking to as close to your camera as possible, so looking at them and looking at the lens are almost the same movement. It takes a little practice, and the video above shows exactly how it looks.
Why eye contact feels so awkward on video
On a real conversation you look at the person. On a video call, the person is on your screen — but the camera is somewhere else, usually above the screen. So when you look at their face, to them you appear to be looking down or away. When you look at the camera to "make eye contact," you can't see their reaction. That mismatch is why video calls can feel strangely cold, and why you can come across as shifty or disengaged without meaning to.
The fix isn't to stare unblinkingly into the lens for an hour. It's to be deliberate about when you look where.
The simple rule: lens when you talk, screen when you listen
Here's the pattern that reads as confident and warm:
- When you're speaking — especially the important lines — look into the camera lens. To the other person, that's direct, engaged eye contact.
- When you're listening — look at their face on your screen. You need to read their reactions, and it's completely natural to look at someone while they talk.
You don't hold the lens the entire time — that looks intense and unnatural. You return to it for your key points, the way you'd naturally meet someone's eyes to land something that matters.
The setup trick that does half the work
Make it physically easier on yourself:
- Move the speaker's window up to the camera. Drag the video of whoever you're talking to right up beneath your webcam. Now looking at their face and looking at the lens are almost the same direction — the mismatch shrinks to almost nothing.
- Shrink the window if it helps. A smaller window near the lens keeps your gaze tighter and stops your eyes wandering across a big screen.
- Get the camera to eye level. If the camera is up your nose, no amount of gaze control looks good. Raise it so the lens sits at or just above your eyeline.
- Close the clutter. Notifications, a second monitor, your own reflection — anything that pulls your eyes away shows up as you looking distracted. Clear the deck before an important call.
Practising without overthinking it
You don't need to rehearse for hours. Two things help fast:
- Record a two-minute test talking to your camera, then watch it back. You'll immediately feel the difference between looking at the lens and looking at the screen — and that awareness is most of the battle.
- Pick your moments. Don't try to nail it for a whole call at first. Just hit the lens for your opening line, and for one or two key points. It compounds from there.
Done right, nobody consciously notices your eye contact — they just come away feeling you were present, confident, and talking to them. That impression is worth far more than any piece of gear.
Frequently asked
Should I look at the camera or the screen on a video call?
Look at the camera lens when you're speaking — that reads as eye contact to the other person — and look at their face on screen when you're listening, so you can read their reactions. Alternating like this feels natural; staring at the lens the whole time does not.
How do I make eye contact feel natural and not robotic?
Move the other person's video window up close to your camera so the two gaze directions almost line up, and only return to the lens for your key points rather than holding it constantly. That mirrors how eye contact works in real conversation.
Why do I look like I'm avoiding eye contact on video?
Because you're probably looking at faces on your screen, which sits below or beside the camera — so to others you appear to be looking away. Glancing into the lens for the moments that matter fixes the impression.
Does the camera position affect eye contact?
Yes. A camera below your face makes any gaze look unflattering and disengaged. Raising it to eye level means that when you do look at the lens, it reads as natural, level eye contact.
Eye contact is one of the small things that quietly signals confidence on camera. There are a handful of others that make the biggest difference — I've gathered them into a short, no-fluff checklist you can run before your next important call.
Get the free Credibility Checklist →