In fact, a handshake is a very important part of the process of creating a positive first impression. In particular, by shaking hands with people you know well or meeting for the first time, you want to create a positive impression. Fortunately, mastering the handshake technique is not as difficult as moving mountains! Read this article for complete information.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Mastering the Handshake Technique
Step 1. Stand near the person whose hand you are going to shake
At the very least, leave a distance of about 1 to 1.25 meters between the two of you. Within that distance, you should be able to comfortably reach out for a handshake. If the position is too close, you can look scary in the eyes of the other person. However, if the position is too far apart, the other person may doubt your willingness to shake hands.
- Use good posture when shaking other people's hands to make you appear more confident in their eyes.
- If you are sitting, stand up before shaking the other person's hand.
Step 2. Extend your right hand
When doing so, make sure your thumbs are facing up. Also, make sure all your fingers are attached or attached well. Then, lean towards the other person and make eye contact to show your interest in shaking his hand.
- Smile when you reach out so you don't appear aggressive.
- If the other person's right hand is injured, don't hesitate to extend your left hand.
Step 3. Hold her hand
In particular, grip the middle area of your palm until the thin skin between your thumb and forefinger is in close contact with the area. Give a firm grip, but not too hard. If possible, try to adjust the intensity of the grip with the pressure applied by the other person.
- Make sure your fingers are completely wrapped around the palm of your hand.
- Do not grip the other person's fingertips. If you do, you'll only be shaking his weak finger instead of shaking his hand.
Step 4. Shake the palms 2 or 3 times
While holding the other person's hand, bend your elbows to rock your palm up and down 2 or 3 times. Make sure your movements feel light but firm and precise.
- Do not shake the other person's hand too hard or with excessive back and forth motions.
- Do not shake his hand more than 3 times. Be careful, doing so can make you look terrible.
Step 5. Release his hands and back your body
After shaking hands, release the other person's hand and return to your previous position. At this point, you can politely break eye contact. However, make sure you keep a smile on your face while talking to make it seem friendly.
Resist the temptation to wipe your hands after shaking hands with someone else. Be careful, the person you are talking to can feel offended if they see it
Method 2 of 3: Avoiding Common Mistakes
Step 1. Don't reach out without warning
For example, someone who is not paying attention to you will certainly not welcome your outstretched hand, right? Even if the situation feels embarrassing, understand that the person doesn't take your outstretched hand because they didn't receive the "on cue" beforehand. Therefore, give cues to get their attention, such as:
- "Hey, Robert! Wow, long time no see, huh. How are you?"
- "Excuse me, ma'am? Hello, I'm Ian, one of the employees in the engineering department. Nice to meet you!"
- "Hey, James! We have to go home now, here. Thank you for making your party a very pleasant one. I really had fun just now!”
Step 2. Apply appropriate pressure
In other words, don't hold someone's hand too tightly, not too gently. A grip that's too tight can make you look arrogant and aggressive. Meanwhile, a grip that is too soft and weak indicates that you don't really care about the meeting.
Try practicing with close friends to measure your hand pressure when shaking hands
Step 3. Don't extend your sweaty hand
Because these actions may be considered disgusting by others, first dry your hands on the sides of the pants or skirt you are wearing. If you want to hold a drink, make sure you hold the glass containing the drink with your left hand so that the moisture that condenses on the walls of the glass does not wet your hand.
If your hands sweat very easily, try spraying them with an antiperspirant once a day to keep them dry
Method 3 of 3: Knowing the Right Time to Shake Hands
Step 1. Shake the other person's hand as a form of self-introduction
Most people consider a handshake a polite form of self-introduction. Therefore, don't hesitate to extend your hand when meeting or meeting someone for the first time. If a friend is introducing you to someone else, wait for your friend to finish speaking before shaking the person's hand. While shaking hands with him, say introductory phrases, such as:
- "Hello, I'm Jane. Pleased to meet you!"
- "Nice to meet you, I'm Jeremy."
- "Pleased to meet you."
- "Hello, how are you?"
Step 2. Extend your hand as a form of greeting and parting
Of course this method is not suitable if applied to people who are closely related to you (such as peers). However, in certain situations that require you to be more formal, a handshake may be necessary to indicate a greeting and/or a farewell. Some situations that generally require you to shake hands are:
- Greet relatives or other people who are older than you
- Greet someone in a professional context
- Just arrived or about to leave a special event
- Just reunited with a friend you haven't seen in a long time
Step 3. Understand the culture of each country before shaking hands
Most Western countries use a firm handshake as a form of greeting. However, other countries have variations of their own ways and traditions that are considered a more polite greeting. Therefore, make sure you take the time to learn the etiquette of greeting in the destination country before traveling to that country. For example:
- In Russia, men will only shake hands with other men, and kiss women's hands as a form of greeting.
- In South Korea, a handshake can only be initiated by an older person. Make sure you reciprocate the other person's handshake with a gentle, not too firm grip.
- Moroccans touch their chests after shaking hands with others as a token of appreciation. When shaking hands, gently hold their hand. If you are a man meeting a Moroccan woman, wait until she reaches out her hand. If he doesn't extend his hand, bow your head to greet him.
- In Turkey, a firm handshake is considered rude. Therefore, make sure you gently grip the Turk's hand.
- In China, you should always greet the older person first. Shake their hands while slightly bowing your body and head as a form of courtesy.
Step 4. Recognize the unique variations of the handshake
Sometimes, taking part in an organization requires you to learn a certain way of shaking hands in order to establish your identity as a member of that organization. In addition, the unique way of shaking hands can also indicate your identity as part of a certain cultural group. For example, many people do a homie handshake (style shaking hands with those closest to them) when greeting their friends. Some other examples are:
- Freemason handshake. This type of handshake is strictly confidential and is only used by members of the Freemason group to identify the identity of fellow members.
- Scout handshake. Men and women who are members of scouting will generally shake fellow members with their left hand.
- Parent Trap handshake. This type of handshake was popularized by the film called Parent Trap.
