The Perfect Handshake

The say deals are usually sealed with a handshake, and they usually are but nobody talks about shaking hands, something we do every day. There are good handshakes, effusive handshakes, and handshakes that make you not want to shake a hand ever again. There are two sides to a handshake, the message that the person who offers the handshake is trying to convey and how that handshake makes the person who receives it feel. In “The Definitive Book of Body Language” Allan and Barbara Pease talk about their research into body language and have a section dedicated to the handshake and it is very eye opening. The book also talks about many other types of body language including posture, facial expressions, hand placement, etc. but we are concentrating on handshakes since it’s probably the most common at the beginning of any face to face interaction. They go into the different types of handshakes and their overall meaning. A limp handshake usually means lack of interest, an open palm or palm up handshake can mean submission and openness and means to convey the message that there is nothing to hide. A completely vertical handshake is mostly viewed as a message of equality, the person offering the hand sees the other person as an equal. Now, the palm facing down or tilted down handshake is another story. The person offering the hand does not see the other person as an equal and plans to be the dominant party in this exchange or relationship if he is not already that. This type of handshake is for the most part a subconscious message sent by offering party and that’s why it’s powerful to understand its meaning. You might realize the person’s intentions before that person realizes what they’re doing, so that would give you have a huge advantage depending on the situation you’re in. Even if the person is blatantly trying to let you know that he plans to dominate you, you can play along pretending not to know, getting an edge, and setting forth a classic game of poker, that’s just a beautiful thing. It is important to understand the handshake and research this topic even further because it can save a lot of time. By getting a quick insight into your counterpart you will be able to anticipate what their intentions are even before they fully express them, this may be easier than you think. Then you can make a quicker decision as to wanting to move further with this relationship, whether it’s personal or business and avoid risking your time, money and even personal happiness and in life those things are too precious to waste.