...... As for people up close, I stared at the bridge of their nose - it helps with making "eye contact"...
That's a good idea! I need to try that. I have trouble making eye contact when I speak. I've realized that very little of what I say is ever "off the cuff" - I quickly plan what I'm going to say, and then "read" it off some neutral space in the room, like a wall or anything solid I can focus on that won't distract me. You'd think this would make me a good phone talker, but it's kind of the opposite. If I can't see the person at all, I get distracted by wondering if they're paying attention, or if I've "lost them" (I speak fairly slowly, so people can sometimes get impatient). So I prefer talking "face to face", but I could do better with my eye contact to make it a bit more effective, so I'll try the bridge-of-nose thing. It's a solid point on which to focus, but which won't distract me with its reactions (or lack thereof) like a pair of eyes would, but it's close enough to the eyes to make it seem like eye contact. Luckily, I can achieve most of my communication through E-mail (best invention ever), because I get my point across more effectively that way.