An expert in eye contact as it relates to all areas of business and social life, Michael Ellsberg is the author of The Power of Eye Contact: Mastering the Most Potent Force in Human Interatcion (HarperCollins) and the founder of Eye Gazing Parties, the world's only singles events based on eye contact, which Elle magazine called "New York's hottest dating trend." Eye Gazing Parties have occurred on several continents now, and were covered by the the New York Times, Associated Press TV, CBS News, CNN, ABC's Good Morning America, MSNBC, Live with Regis & Kelly, Current TV, Yoga Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco magazine, the BBC, the Times of London, Match.com, Nerve.com, Agence Press France, German, and Canadian national television, and in Tim Ferriss's #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller The Four-Hour Workweek.
The Power of Eye Contact is the first-ever complete book on eye contact as it relates to effective sales presentations, leadership and networking, as well as dating and romance.
Ellsberg's talks and workshops are highly participatory, to motivate people out of their seats, out of their bubbles, and out of their comfort zones so that they interact, think differently, and meet new people. His presentations and workshops are fun, lively, exciting, engaging, and unlike any typical keynote or motivational talk. He is an ideal speaker for colleges, universities, and as a warm up speaker for full-day or multi-day corporate conferences and retreats. As the organizer and emcee of Eye Gazing Parties, he can bring these dynamic, interactive workshops or parties to any venue.
Ellsberg also offers more in-depth trainings and breakout sessions for audiences that have a real need to learn about better face-to-face connecting, such as sales forces, team leaders, public speakers and presenters, and customer service professionals. Eye contact and connecting through the eyes is also a popular topic at personal growth, health and wellness, and self-development conferences and retreats.
Ellsberg provides useful, honest advice for harnessing the power of eye contact for success in work, love, and life. He provides expert insight through a potent mix of prescriptive exercises and persuasive argument. Ellsberg teaches audiences how to stop being "eye-shy" and start being "eye bold" so that they:
- start meeting more people right away, in business and social settings.
- deepen connections and relationships with the people they already know.
- feel, look, and act more confident.
Prior to writing The Power of Eye Contact, Ellsberg collaborated on Flirting With Disaster: Why Accidents Are Rarely Accidental, with Dr. Marc Gerstein, former professor of management at Columbia Business School, published by Union Square Press. Ellsberg graduated from Brown University in 1999, Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum-laude, with Honors in International Relations. He lives in New York with his fiancée Jena la Flamme.
Praise for The Power of Eye Contact:
"Effective business networking depends on effective eye contact. If you want to improve your networking skills, this book will be an important read."
-- Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI, the word's largest business networking organization, and author of the New York Times best-sellers Masters of Networking and Truth or Delusion? Busting Networking's Biggest Myths
"Ellsberg takes us on a captivating journey through the world of eye contact. Both mysterious and rewarding, the text reveals the powerful secrets of using the eyes to connect with others."
-- Rom Brafman, co-author of the New York Times best-seller Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior
"Rumi often speaks of the soul mystery that gets exchanged through the eyes, in the glance. Michael Ellsberg provides a clear guide on how we can bring this practice, with all its beauty and power, into our own lives."
-- Coleman Barks, best-selling author of The Essential Rumi, The Soul of Rumi, and Rumi: The Book of Love
"I use eye contact in my own fighting as a way of making sure my opponent knows I mean business. The Power of Eye Contact offers great guidance for using eye contact to project calm and confidence in hostile, competitive, or dangerous situations. I recommend it for anyone interested in competitive sports, self-defense and martial arts."
-- Urijah Faber, Former WEC Featherweight Champion
"After I swam the Amazon, demand for my public speaking skyrocketed. No one has taught me more about connecting with audiences on a visceral level than Michael Ellsberg."
-- Martin Strel, holder of four Guinness World Records in distance swimming, co-author of The Man Who Swam the Amazon, professional public speaker
"Michael Ellsberg incisively surveys the many centuries of literature on the qualities of eye contact, skillfully interviews contemporaries who shed light on its complex dynamics, and with a clear eye and open heart offers profoundly practical guidance to those who hunger to see deeper - into others and themselves."
-- Thomas Farber, author of The Beholder