How to Make Eye Contact on Video Calls

Video calls have become the default for how professional work happens. Sales calls, executive briefings, client pitches, team meetings all happen on screen now. But something about them still feels slightly off, and most people can't quite put their finger on why.

Eye contact is usually the answer. On video calls, real eye contact is almost impossible. Once you understand why, you start to notice it everywhere.

The camera and the face you're looking at are in two different places.

Your camera sits at the top of your screen. The person you're talking to is shown somewhere in the middle of it. When you look at them, you're looking down and away from the camera. On the other end, it looks like you're checking your notes or not quite paying attention. The strange part is that you can't tell it's happening.

No. A sharper camera, better lighting, or a wider lens won't change where the camera sits relative to where you're looking. You'll just get a cleaner picture of someone looking slightly off-camera.

This is a structural issue, not a hardware quality one. The only real fix is putting the camera in the same place as the person you're talking to.

News anchors solved this problem decades ago. The tool they use is called a teleprompter, and you've seen one in action every time someone reads from an autocue on TV.

A teleprompter places a piece of partially reflective glass in front of the camera lens, the same idea as a one-way mirror. A screen underneath reflects whatever it's showing onto the glass, so the presenter can read it. The camera, sitting behind the glass, sees right through it. That's how a news anchor reads a script and makes eye contact with the audience at the same time.

The catch is that most teleprompters aren't built for video calls. They expect a separate camera, a tripod, and a script app to load the text. None of that fits a daily work setup.

Elgato Conferencing Kit + is a complete desktop setup built around the eye contact problem. It combines a teleprompter, a high-quality camera, and the stand and cabling to make it all work in one box.

At the center of the kit is Elgato Prompter, a desktop teleprompter with a built-in screen that connects to your laptop with one USB-C cable. The screen works just like a second monitor, so you can drag any window onto it, including your video call. Make the call window fullscreen, and you see the people on the call directly through the glass. The camera, mounted behind the glass, captures you looking right at them.

The rest of the kit makes it practical without changing how your desk already works:

• Facecam MK.2: A webcam that mounts directly behind Prompter's glass. It shoots uncompressed Full HD 1080p60 with a Sony STARVIS sensor and HDR, so you look sharp in any lighting.
• Wave Desk Stand: An adjustable mount that raises Prompter to face height, so the camera sits at eye level instead of below your chin.
• Laptop stand with built-in USB hub. Sits below Prompter to keep your laptop screen in the same sightline for your shared documents, slides, or notes. The integrated hub powers the entire setup through one USB-C cable and keeps your laptop charged through back-to-back calls.

The kit works with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, Slack, and more. No drivers, no configuration. Open your meeting app, select your camera, and drag the call window onto Prompter.

On the calls that actually move the needle. The cost of being slightly off on video shows up most when the stakes are highest.

Pitching a new client. A new business pitch is often the first real impression a prospective client has of you. Looking down at notes, or appearing to even when you're not, undercuts the work you're presenting.

Closing a deal remotely. Sales is a relationship game, and the relationship is harder to build through a screen. Looking directly at the customer while you talk is one of the few ways to recreate the in-person feeling on a remote call.

Presenting to leadership. Executives are looking for confidence and clarity. Eye contact is the fastest way to signal both during a C-suite briefing or board update.

Briefing your team. A project kickoff sets the tone for everything that follows. Looking each person in the eye while you brief them, even through a camera, lands differently than looking past them.

People listen more closely. You stop seeming distracted because you no longer look distracted. The calls that matter most start to feel like the room you would have been in if everyone were in the same place.

Conferencing Kit + brings Prompter, Facecam MK.2, Wave Desk Stand, and a laptop stand with a built-in USB hub together in a single setup. Connect it once, and every call from that point forward feels as natural as meeting in person, no matter where you are.