A New York transplant thought the eye contact was creepy. They got over it.

A stare down, when required is PRICELESS.

The 'stink eye' indicates the displease embraced by another or our own dsdaine.

Seeing eye-to-eye' is the outcome we all want. But make sure you balance the eye contact between couples.

For me when it comes to eyes, it is my goal to comunictate to them there is no I in eye.

I dunno. How real do you want to be? ;)

It is where I make my opinion of the other person.

To me eye contact means everything.  It lets me know that you can see me.

Eye contact is necessary. I've tried to have conversation with people who were not looking at me, and it totally pi$$ed me off. The other day a lawyer on the other side of the table did not respond to me directly to something I said. He looked at my clients attorney and responded to them. I wanted to get up and punch him in the mouth. Of course, I would never do that, but I would never recommend this guy. Rude.

Eye contact is CRITICAL to good communication.

Eye contact is very important. 

when I speak to someone I want eye contact.... if they can't look me in the eye, that tells me volumes....

A lot, Richie. I don't quite trust people who won't look me in the eye. (I also like a good handshake and people who relate to animals.)

Not as much as they advocate. Some people are naturally shy and have trouble with eye contact.

I put a lot of value on it. How do you engage someone & not look them in the eye?

Not enough, I need to work on this.

It is everything, if someone wont look you in the eyes, they may not be telling the truth

Lots - tons - 100% - I do not trust people who will not look me in the eye, especially men.

All of it. Words are only 7% if our communication, face and body will tell you the truth. 

Yes eye contact does send a message...but in my opinion, eye contact or no eye contact can mean many things... have to look at the overall picture, body posture, tone of voice, character of the person, do they suffer from depression, anxiety, mental illness, the nature of the conversation, and the culture ... in some cultures it is considered rude to make too much eye contact... and is a sign of respect to not stare.. .. factor it all in before making a judgment.  I am not going to judge or assess based on 1 element of communication.. leads to all kinds of misunderstandings and assumptions.

It is important in US-cultural.

Having eye contact is extremely important and I tell my grandchildren to look me in the eye when speaking to me.

 It is essential and it was taught to me early by my parents...

 The eyes are the windows to the soul.

It's appreciated when extended - to me it speaks the silent message of, "I'm here and I will honor this conversation by looking you in the eye"

Having eye contact shows the person you are speaking with that you are engaged and interested in them. 

Considerable.

It is important, though sometimes lacking in phone conversations.

100%

The lack of eye contact does not bother me.

I like eye contact. 

A lot. 

It is imperative -- otherwise the other person won't believe in you completely.

This is a cultural issue so for me  it depends where I am and who I am talking to at the moment. I lived in Asia for many years and to make prolonged, direct eye contact can be considered rude or hostile. 

I make and maintain natural eye contact but I've had people do the eye stare and I find that creepy.  I also have an aversion to people who say my name several times in a conversation. I know it's a sales technique and immediately distrust anyone trying to use sales techniques on me. (says the salesperson)

I think it's important but I also don't look down on someone for their inability to maintain contact. It's a common weakness in introverts and something I used to struggle with.

For me, eye contact means a few things Richie Alan Naggar - it means you have taken a moment to acknowledge that I am there, to see me, and to appear interested in what is being said, as this can be a first time introduction.  That being said, I have seen other realtors look at Roger when we are both there, and talk to him, like I'm not there.  I'm not pushy by not making a comment or extending my hand, but trust me, I do see you.  Sometime I get introduced to that person, and sometimes I do not, though when they walk away, I always ask, 'who was that'.

Ken Jones, ASA, SCGREA nailed this one!

I put a lot of value on eye contact. Unless the person is extremely shy or has some type of social disorder, I think a person who doesn't make eye contact has something to hide and I have a hard time trusting them.

would a poke in the eye count as eye-contact?

Richie Alan Naggar eye contact is important, but some people avoid eye contact. 

Tons.

Each peson is different and some times eye contact just makes good people nervous.

Depends.