Do you have any tips for people who are uncomfortable with maintaining eye contact during conversations?

Stare at the space between the eyes, at the bridge of the nose. Shift gaze from time to time, however.

I usually see this as a confidence issue. Try to be more comfortable with your words?

I dunno. I like making eye contact. It’s an easy way to seem like you know what you’re talking about, and to gain trust.

Tell yourself by looking into their eyes you will be believed, trusted, respected, etc. By giving yourself a reason to look into their eyes, the motivation will be there to overcome whatever phobia or concern is bothering you.

Try to look into their eyes 1/4 of the time they’re talking, and then other than that, just look around the room like you’re thinking about what was just said, or what you say.
I like gailcalled’s answer. :P

I try to make eye contact often, but cannot for the life of me maintain it for any length of time. I do pretty much what curious cat suggested, but probably more than 1/4 of the time.

1/4 of the time is a good start though :), and then work your way up to making more eye contact when it feels more comfortable.

What I do is usually just take a quick glance at someone and that’ll at least make them feel acknowledged.

What gailcalled advised works very well in situation while you’re giving interviews.

If you don’t make eye contact, you can make other body motions to indicate you are still following with the conversation. I nod my head and make “mmm” sounds to agree from time to time. This also communicates that I understand what’s being talked about.

If you don’t make eye contact, the general assumption from your body language is that you are lying.

I should have clarified, a certain amount of eye contact is necessary with my technique. I always look people in the eyes while talking, pretty much 100% unless we’re doing a task, and I still use head nods and “mmm” sounds to reinforce that I understand what they’re saying. bodyhead does have a good point.

Can you maintain eye contact with the talking heads on TV? Start practicing there. It just needs to become a habit, so practice, practice, practice.

Some people will not maintain the contact while having conversation is a lier or does not have confident in the person.