Professional Help: Improving Your Handshake

16 May Professional Help: Improving Your Handshake

Handshakes are a lot more important than people realize. A good handshake is one of the most important skills you can work on as a person. If you want to make sure that each person that you meet has a pleasant and positive experience during your first greet, then having a nice, firm handshake is a great start. So to help you improve your handshake for those important first encounters, here are some tips and pointers that will always ensure that you are giving a great first impression on your handshake.

Keep your hand mentally warm. I know this may sound a little weird, but it is very helpful. While you are approaching the person that you are about to shake hands with, imagine that there is a shot of electricity flowing through your arm and your hand. By doing this, you are mentally warming up your hand for a firm handshake.

Try to make sure that your hand isn’t too sweaty. Nobody wants to shake a sweaty hand, right? Have you every shook a sweaty hand and felt completely disgusted afterwards? Well, make sure that your hand will not give a similar experience. If you know that your hand gets sweaty often, try carrying a tissue on you at all times, making sure that you are able to wipe your hands before a handshake.  You might even consider wiping just a little underarm deodorant onto your palms to help prevent nasty sweating.

Always make sure that you are smiling and making good eye contact. If you are looking to establish a feeling of trust, then good eye contact is very important. Though,you should be careful, by staring into the other person’s eyes for too long, it can be mistaken as an attempt to gain physical intimacy or to express an attraction.  Eye contact should be held for a maximum of three seconds, nothing more.

Give the pressure that you are receiving. You do not want to overcompensate the handshake. While shaking hands, try to apply the same amount of pressure that you are receiving from the other person. Things can get really awkward if you are squeezing very firmly, and the other person is not, or vice versa. You must be able to adjust your handshake pressure quickly and smartly without making things too weird or awkward.

Pump the hands up and down, then hold briefly, then let go. On average, a handshake will allow up to three or four pumps before letting go. If the other person shakes your hand with more than four pumps, which will signal that the other person likes you.

Finish the handshake with one more tiny, extra squeeze. Do not think of this final squeeze as something that must be very tight, think of it as one more pulse or surge of energy in the handshake, and then immediately let go. Doing this will signal that you are ready to end the handshake and that you are about to let go.

Follow these important handshake tips and you will be well on your way to offering better handshakes and improving your overall first impression.

Have you ever encountered a person with an awful handshake? What impression did they leave on you?