What does your handshake say about you?

Greetings can be a ‘handful’ sometimes

We’ve all been there. Walking into a room of people you don’t know, palms sweating and awkward eye contact in every direction. The inevitable handshake is coming, you just don’t know when.

Here we look at the different types of handshakes you could have in your arsenal and the impact you could have on your acquaintance.

The ‘wet fish’

Leaving your hand limp and producing a loose grip with your fellow handshaker results in a ‘wet fish’. A very awkward shake that is not recommended and is often caused due to sweaty palms, nerves and/or poor accuracy.

Conclusion: You will leave a lasting impression but for all the wrong reasons. Conversation may seem like it flows like a salmon downstream through the night, but at the back of the other person’s mind, there will always be doubts about your ‘fishy’ character.

The ‘over-aggressive’

Keep your hand strong and lock into that shake like your life depends on it. An accelerated shake speed can also make the ‘over-aggressive’ approach feel like near torture for your greeter.

Conclusion: You either come across as the dominant group member or a bit of a psychopath if you can’t back up your actions with your words. Either way, at least you aren’t one to back away from a granite gripped greeting.

The ‘high-fiver’

Forget formalities when someone offers their hand, simply slap it with yours and accept the high five approach. Depending on the power you generate in your slap, results can vary quite significantly.

Conclusion: Some will think, ‘does this guy think I’m 12?’ while others will love the informality of it all. A risk at the more formal events but a potential perfect manoeuvre for a teen’s birthday.

The ‘don’t touch me’

Either use your fingertips to brush your new acquaintance’s hand or just flat out ignore the invitation to shake. Confidence and arrogance are needed in the bucket-loads here.

Conclusion: You seem rude from the offset, meaning conversation and relations will suffer as a result. Do this if you dislike the person you are speaking with - or just enjoy being ‘that guy’.

The ‘smashed it’

Keep that hand limber and know who your target is. Reach out your invitation and ensure you lock in to that shake like you’re greeting your hero.

Conclusion: You are on your way to the top. You’ve nailed the handshake, the bartender tells you it’s 2-for-1 on drinks all night and that red wine you knocked over falls over the ‘don’t touch me’ handshaker. You have won at life today.