Final answer:
The best way to use eye contact is to make brief, friendly contact and look away from time to time to maintain a comfortable level of engagement and convey attention and openness.
Step-by-step explanation:
The appropriate technique for making eye contact during a conversation or speech is making brief, friendly eye contact and then looking away periodically. This helps in maintaining a connection with the audience or the person you are speaking to without making them feel uncomfortable. Too much eye contact can be seen as staring and might come off as intense or even confrontational. On the other hand, gazing at different objects constantly might give the impression that you are distracted or disinterested. Maintaining eye contact is important because it signifies engagement and helps in building trust.