Know the Perfect Handshake!

The firmness of handshake is not the reliable indicator of firmness of character that many believe it to be. Firm handshakes tend to be those of confident people, especially those who have spent some time in business, and who realize that most people in business consider a firm handshake to be a good thing. A proper handshake should last from 3 to 6 seconds, be equally balanced meaning each person’s hand is vertically side by side, thumbs must be locked around each other’s upper hand and fingers have a firm grip.

There are many types of handshakes you will come across every day, here are a few:

Hand Hug: The hand hug is perceived as being warm, friendly,  trustworthy and honest, and sometimes this handshake is reciprocated creating a pile of 4 hands.  However, this type of handshake is only done genuinely with people who share close bonds, as similar to hugs, this handshake is seen as an invasion of intimacy when done by people who have just met.

Dominator: Someone who likes to shake hands while their hand is on top and their palm is facing the ground. This handshake may come handy in certain situations like letting your boss feel powerful by ‘submitting’ to his dominance, or if you are apologizing about something, letting someone have their palm on top will make them feel in control of the situation.

Cold and Clammy: This handshake is where the person shaking your hand has a cold sweaty hand. This handshake can be found in nervous people with weak characters or a lack of energy used by passive or apathetic people.

Crusher: The overly aggressive personality handshake displays confidence and power.  This is the handshake that makes your knuckles grind each other when shaking, and leaves your hand in numbing pain afterward so that you dread the moment you have to shake their hand goodbye again.

Queens Fingertips:  This is quite common in male-female encounters.  As women need more personal space than men, they will stretch out their hand from a distance allowing the other person to barely grasp the two or three fingers without a good grip on the hand.  It is also used by individuals who feel superior to the other person, e.g: The Queen, therefore stretching out their hands with their palms downwards (a sign of authority/superiority) and only allowing a hold of the fingers.

Keep Back:  Another type of handshake used by aggressive types.  The main purpose of this handshake is to keep you at a distance and away from the person’s personal space as they may feel threatened.

Yank and Pull:  This handshake is considered a power play, as it’s when a person decides to grab your arm and pull you in close towards them and inside their territory/personal space.