撰文：教育專家張偉菁校長
在一個大型跨國公司的人才招聘會上，小張和小蔡都成功通過初試和複試，他倆是從 100 多名的競爭對手中脫穎而出的。無論筆試還是談吐，雙方都不相上下，人事部的選拔「考官」左右為難，因為公司只會招聘其中一人。
最後，公司經理決定親自對兩個人進行一次面試，令人意想不到的是，只花了幾分鐘的時間，經理就決定了錄用小張。當被問及原因時，經理很坦率地說：「理由很簡單，當我在和他們說話時，小張一直注視著我的眼睛，而小蔡卻左顧右盼，可見他並不善於傾聽別人談話。而善於傾聽和尊重客戶是一個銷售主管應具備的首要條件。」
用眼睛表示出誠意與尊重
這個事例說明的道理很簡單，眼睛是心靈的窗戶，人們藉目光表達豐富的感情，像是尊重、關注、蔑視和不以為然等等。所以與別人面談時，時時注視對方的眼睛會表示出你的誠意。同時，懂得目不轉睛地關注別人談話的人，也必會受到別人的感激與尊重。
學校經常舉辦以「禮貌」為主題的活動，目的是喚起同學們對別人的禮貌。「別人」除指家人、長輩、老師和同學等認識的人之外，也應包括不認識的人。孩子們早應知道「早晨」和「謝謝」等禮貌用語，但有很多孩子還是不會主動向人打招呼，更何況是其他日常生活上的禮儀呢？學校針對的當然是一個學生在校與師長和同學相處時的禮貌，其他的就有賴家庭教育了。
Written by: Education expert, Principal Cheung Wai jing
At a talent recruitment event for a large multinational company, both Siu Cheung and Siu Choi successfully passed the initial and follow-up interviews. They stood out from over 100 competitors. Whether it was written tests or communication skills, both were equally impressive, leaving the human resources department’s evaluators in a dilemma, as the company would only hire one person.
In the end, the company manager decided to personally interview both candidates. Surprisingly, after just a few minutes, the manager chose to hire Siu Cheung. When asked for the reason, the manager candidly stated, “The reason is simple. When I was speaking to them, Siu Cheung maintained eye contact with me the whole time, while Siu Choi was looking around, indicating that he wasn’t good at actively listening to others. Being adept at listening and respecting clients is a crucial requirement for a sales supervisor.”
Expressing Sincerity and Respect through Eye Contact
This example illustrates a straightforward lesson: eyes are the windows to the soul, and people use their gaze to convey a range of emotions such as respect, attention, disdain, and indifference. Therefore, maintaining consistent eye contact during conversations signifies your sincerity. Moreover, those who can attentively focus on others’ words without shifting their gaze will naturally earn gratitude and respect from others.
Schools often organize activities centered around the theme of “politeness” to encourage students to be courteous to others. “Others” includes not only family members, elders, teachers, and fellow students but also unfamiliar people. Children should learn early on about polite phrases like “good morning” and “thank you,” but many still don’t proactively greet others, let alone observe other daily life etiquette. Schools focus on teaching students how to behave politely when interacting with teachers and peers in the school setting; the rest relies on family education.
上文所提「見工」的例子，小學生當然暫不適用，但他們亦經常有面試的機會。如果要予人一個好的印象，孩子必須學習用眼神展現出他對別人談話的關注與尊重。所以父母要教導孩子傾聽的技巧與藝術，當然父母在聆聽孩子的說話時，更加要給予他們適當的尊重與關注，這樣孩子便學懂與人相處的禮貌是無分年齡與身分的。以下是三個聆聽小錦囊：
1. 聆聽別人說話時，不要左顧右盼，要看著對方的眼睛
2. 當聽明白或與對方有同感時，要用眼睛與人交流，表示贊同
3. 注視對方不代表要目不轉睛地「死盯」著對方，這樣做反而會顯得不太禮貌
小說經常用「有一雙會說話的眼睛」來形容筆下人物的聰慧可人，其實人人都有這樣的一雙眼，只要善加利用，它會比我們嘴裡吐出的說話更有說服力。
The example of “job hunting” mentioned above might not be applicable to elementary school students for the time being, but they also frequently have opportunities for interviews. If they want to leave a good impression on others, children must learn to use their eyes to show their attention and respect when conversing with others. Therefore, parents need to teach children the skills and art of listening. Of course, when parents listen to their children, they should also give them appropriate respect and attention. This way, children will learn that politeness in interpersonal interactions knows no age or status boundaries. Here are three listening tips:
1. When listening to someone, avoid looking around and instead focus on the person’s eyes.
2. When you understand or share the same sentiment, use your eyes to communicate and show agreement.
3. Gazing at someone doesn’t mean staring fixedly at them; doing so can actually come across as impolite.
In literature, characters are often described as having “eyes that speak.” In reality, everyone has eyes like that; as long as we utilize them well, they can be more persuasive than the words we speak.
