What your handshake really says about you!

Show your hand!

Limp fish, bone crusher and the vice are just a few of the awkward handshakes we’ve all encountered at some point in our business careers.

This age old greeting can reveal a lot about a person’s character, attitude and business traits, not to mention set the tone for any business deals that follow.

It is usually the first time two strangers come into physical contact and communicate with each other, be those clients, interviewee’s or even 3rd party traders. In many cultures across the globe the handshake is also a symbol of peace, respect and hospitality that in many cases finalises a business deal.

Trade.Love a business matchmaking company casts light on some of the most common handshakes and how they can reveal a person’s character and methods of business. Methods that ultimately define business relationships.

Sweaty and cold

The limp fish. A sweaty or cold hand indicates a person is nervous and unsure. This is normally associated with those who are either unprepared or unconfident about their product/ meeting or suffer from anxiety and social awkwardness.

Either way this is not the ideal impression to put across to a potential business partner or client. Compose yourself, identify your meeting aims and rehearse them. Make sure you are well prepared and take notes if required.

As for those sweaty palms…talcum powder to the rescue!

Time to let go

The vice. As far as handshake duration goes the usual rule of thumb is a few seconds. Ideally the length of your name. For example:

**extend hand** “Hi, I’m Marty McFly.” **Stop shaking hand**

So after three to four pumps, it’s usually time to let go! Unfortunately some people continue shaking with a tight grip that indicates you are not going anywhere anytime soon. Time to watch on helplessly.

This usually indicates that the person is not sure on how to proceed so carries on shaking to buy some extra time. The little interval can also help composure and provide the opportunity to better judge you and your character.

There are no nice solutions to this. You can grip harder, become a limp fish (see above) or casually make a joke about the prolonged shake.

Oi, over here

The eyeless shake. Have you ever enthusiastically shook hands with someone only to find them casually looking at something or someone else? This not only screams awkwardness but also puts a dampener on the entire meeting.

This practice usually stems from arrogance and authority. It normally suggests “you can have my hand but not my attention”. This should set alarm bells ringing as a client/ business associate who shows such little interest at such an early stage is unlikely to be a keeper.

Having said that if the other person is not looking at you but rather at the floor this indicates a lack of confidence, anxiety and nervousness.

The former cannot be remedied but does at least provide an insight into the seriousness and attitude of the person.

The latter can be fixed by conversing with the person, asking if they would like a beverage and just making them feel comfortable with casual chitchat.

Ouch, yep that’s my hand

The bone crusher. The handshake of opportunistic souls (think political leaders).

This normally suggests dominance and authority. Going in with a strong shake that has full control of the situation shows that you mean business but more importantly you mean business on ‘your’ terms.

That said being on the receiving end of such handshakes could lead to being pushed around in the negotiation ring.

High five

So there you have it. With a handshake making such an impactful first impression, be sure to start working on yours. Time to start (and end) your business deals with one that truly describes your business goals and success.

“With the ever increasing reliance on digital trading, handshakes are becoming less common but a good handshake can still make all the difference when completing a deal in person. It should be a firm squeeze with dry hands and no more than three — four pumps. Don’t forget eye contact, a smile and an enthusiastic verbal greeting”.