I was recently interviewed on the radio on the topic of shaking hands. Several people ‘phoned in to ask about the rules. It seems the rules aren’t well known or don’t exist.
I remember meeting a senior manager once who didn’t accept my hand to shake when I held it out. I felt embarrassed. He later told me he had done this on purpose to put me offside and establish himself as being in control. If the purpose of hand shaking is to connect with someone and come across as trustworthy… he failed miserably.
Here the rules for starting out with the right hand… shake.
Make eye contact and smile if you can. At least relax your facial muscles.
Put out your right hand and leave it there.
Match the grip of the other person… exactly.
Shake up and down three times.
Let go last.
People often speak whilst shaking and say things like ‘Pleased to meet you’.
You really do get only one chance to make a first impression and a good handshake gets past most barriers. I’ll write again on what not to do. For the time being, practise matching the grip whilst keeping eye contact. If it helps, identify the colour of the person’s eyes while shaking their hand. Relationships make the world go round and getting started is a necessary skill. See how many hands you can shake today.
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