Master the Perfect Handshake
The handshake is an amazingly important gesture of greeting that can make or break any relationship you may have with that person in the future. It is important whether you are meeting someone in business, on the street, a new neighbor or a possible significant other. All of these meetings could be awkward, or uncomfortable and that could destroy a future relationship. It is amazing that the handshake is not something that is taught to more people as they grow up and head out into the world, since it can be such an important part of any first meeting with another human being. You would think it would be treated with more importance. Let’s go over a few ground rules to handshakes for a better understanding of how we greet people.
How to Shake Hands
- You will want to start with a firm grasp. A firm grasp coupled with steady eye contact is a great way to make a first impression. This will show confidence and the willingness to connect with them and that is important.
- Speak while shaking makes a good impression as well as creating another connection. When you say “hello” or “glad to meet you” you add an emotional contact as well as a physical. This helps to create a bond from the get go.
- You do not want to overdo your handshake either. Too hard a squeeze and you come across as too aggressive and the person will be put on the defensive right away. If it is too weak, you give the impression you do not care to meet the person and no one likes that. Either of these can be insulting which could definitely destroy any future relationship you may have got.
- You will want to time it right as well. Holding on to long, or until the other person has to pull away is too intrusive for a first greeting. They may feel like you are invading their personal space and that is uncomfortable. To quick and pulling back immediately can look like you have no interest in them, or worse, that you find them disgusting. This is also a good way to wreck any future relationship you may have otherwise had. The general rule says around 2 seconds is safe for a first greeting.
While other cultures use different forms of the handshake, this is standard operating procedure in the United States and Europe. When you consider how a first impression has been proven to stick in our subconscious like a flag in a person’s mental files, you can see how it can be important to get it right. Imagine if you are meeting a client for the first time and you give him a knuckle busting handshake or a limp one, letting go instantly. As you can guess this client will not last for you because you came across as either too aggressive and threatening or too weak for them to trust you. The handshake shows respect and trust and that is essential in any first meeting.
