Shaking Hands: A Guide
May 25, 2014 Shenanigans 6 comments ckeene14
You can tell a lot about a person by their handshake. Too hard and it seems like the person is contemptuous, or trying to seem in power. People who try to break the hand rather than shake them will most likely be avoided by the recipient of the death grip, they will be seen as an aggressor. Too loose and it seems as if the person is inattentive, or clumsy. A person who presents his or her self with a hand like a deceased fish will, in most cases, be mocked. A solid, firm grasp is the ideal handshake- it says to the recipient that you mean business, you come as an equal, and you respect them.
Besides a sentence or two that may be said prior to the actual greeting, the handshake itself is what first represents you. In most cases it is the actual handshake that makes the lasting impression, and it’s in your best interest to make sure that the first impression they get is one that accurately represents you.
Now, there seems to be more leniency when it come to a woman’s handshake. In most cases women will present a more feminine handshake, and that’s fine there’s nothing wrong with that, however there is a line between a feminine handshake and the limp fish approach. Cross that line, and there’s a chance you’ll be looked down upon like any man who does the same thing.
In order to further educate you about the process of a proper greeting, I have included a step by step instruction on how to execute a perfect handshake.
1.) Approach handshake recipient.
2.) Lock eyes and smile.
3.) Extend hand towards recipient’s.
4.) Lock hands and grasp firmly, but not too strong. (See figure 1)
5.) Greet in whatever form is customary for your region. (Hello, Hola, Bonjour, etc.)
Now that you have the process down, you need a practice partner. The ideal partner would be a father figure, or an employer. Both have had plenty of experience with meetings, and should have perfected their handshake by this point in their lives.
Now that you’re practiced and ready to go, it’s time to put it to use in the real world. Situations such as business meetings or job applications are just two of many environments where first impressions will be most important. The handshake is similar to an ambassador. It represents you prior to the conversation. It is one of, if not the, most crucial part of the greeting, as it makes up a large portion of the first impression which can make or break a relationship.
Additional Image: “Handshake” by blu-news.org @ Flickr
6 Comments
I like this post. Proper handshake technique can help make a good first impression, but a good handshake at an odd time could create an awkward moment. Maybe you should try to include some handshake etiquette or some examples of when a handshake could be considered inappropriate.
I like this post. Proper handshake technique can help make a good first impression, but a good handshake at an odd time could create an awkward moment. Maybe you should try to include some handshake etiquette or a few examples of when a handshake could be considered inappropriate.
I agree a man should have a firm handshake. I hate when I go to give a handshake and then find out that the person can’t even give you a proper handshake.
You can tell so much about a person by the way they shake hands with you. Whether they have small or big hands, whether they were nervous or not, whether they are confident or not. There is so much information one can learn about a person by the way they shake hands, and I really enjoyed reading this piece and found it interesting and funny.
While I am already well tested in the art of a good handshake I still found this piece to be very well written and interesting. I liked how you broke down each of the steps easy to see and then went more into depth awesome piece Connor!!
I find this piece to be quite true. Whenever I meet someone, its their handshake that makes a lasting impression. I have a firm handshake and I absolutely despise getting a crappy one back. I like how far in depth you went into how to give a handshake, it really shows you’re serious about this matter.