As a speaker it's essential that you connect with your audience during the first three to five seconds. There are several ways you can do this but an essential basic skill is eye communication. In his early public speaking days, Dennis Waitley was one of those ill-advised speakers.
Most audiences are sharp.
They pick up on this. They quickly realize that this is a technique for the benefit of the speaker, and in no way benefits the audience. The truth is the perception of the audience is more important than the comfort level of the speaker. A speaker must be willing to give of him or her self. A speaker must speak from the heart and when he does he is believed.