433 - How important is a handshake?

🤝 For some business people the days of shaking hands when greeting others is over.🤝

I remember my father teaching me the importance of a handshake.

It's not a meaningless gesture.

You communicate all kinds of things when you shake someone's hand.

The temperature of your hand, the firmness of your grip (or lack thereof) and the length of the handshake send conscious and unconscious signals to the person you are meeting with.

Do you look the person in the eyes as you shake? That's important as well.

You have probably had the experience of shaking hands with someone whose hand felt like a raw fish filet. Their hand was limp, cold, and damp. YUCK!!

That's a sign of someone who lacks confidence or is nervous. Think of the candidate interviewing for a job or the new hire who is afraid of the boss...

Other times, you met someone whose grip was so firm you felt your circulation cut off and your eyes began to bulge!! 😳

This person was either highly confident, over compensating for their lack of confidence or possibly an oblivious body builder. 💪

Many people now opt for the elbow or fist bump 🤜🤛 or a short wave👋.

Personally, I love the (prayerful) hand gesture and nod 🙏🏻 called the Wai, used in Thailand and other Asian countries.

You'll rarely see business people hugging.

Now that everyone is getting out and meeting people in person, it's important to be mindful of the people you meet and respect their desired method of greeting.

Some people automatically extend their hand for a shake while others will put a fist forward or wave.

Whatever the person you're greeting prefers, respect them for it. You don't know what their experience has been with Covid.

How do you greet people now?