The pandemic has exacerbated an already troubling trust deficit across political, economic and demographic divides.
The decline in trust is understandable, a predictable consequence of very real failures in leadership.
But something else is happening as well.
The pandemic has forced most of us to move our lives on to screens.
40% off TNW Conference!
Researchers have found that real and direct eye contactholds our attention.
He explained that we declare ourselves with eye contact.
A gaze is like saying I disagree with you but keep talking to me.
Burketts eye contact invited attachment and a feeling of safety for the audience.
But feeling safe doesnt mean we arent expected to be active.
This single most powerful tool for fostering trust and strengthening relationships has largely gone missing.
So what can we do to fix it?
Second, compensate for the loss of this tool with an effort to project trustworthiness.
What is the difference, then, between trust and trustworthiness?
Trust is a mutual effort allowing an existing relationship to operate with minimal stress.
It need not be reciprocated to be valuable.
Third, normalize friendship in spaces that need trust.
Viewing friendship as, for example, a meaningful work resource may seem strange.
But as social beings,we constantly engage in efforts to influence othersto collaborate or co-operate.
But sometimes co-operation is born of a relational motivation, based on the need for identification through social relationships.
Here, trust looms large.
And if I cant stimulate it with eye contact, I can compensate with the language of friendship.
This notion may not sit well with some.
But cutting-edge research demonstrates the decision to engage in pro-social behaviorsstems primarily from intuition.
When we co-operate, its not because we engaged in a deep analysis and calculated it as worthwhile.
Its actually because of feelings.
Without eye contact, we need to boost these relational feelings with words.
Trust after Zoom will be tough.
But projecting trustworthiness and friendship in places where we are used to being more transactional can help.
