How To Shake Hands

In majority of the countries, handshake comes across as the most common form of greeting someone. Unknown to many people, the way they shake hands with a person speaks volumes about their personality. In fact, it lays the basis of establishing your first impression on the other person. If you hesitate in bringing your hand forward, be it because it is greasy, sweaty or otherwise not-presentable, it gives out a negative impression. On the other hand, a forthcoming hand is always considered to be a symbol of friendship, accessibility and reliability. At the same time, it helps you make an initial connection with another person. In order to help you present the best hand forward, we have detailed the complete procedure on how to shake hands, in the lines below.

Shaking Hands With Someone

As the first step in shaking hands with someone, you will be required to extend your right hand forward, in order to meet the other's person right hand. While doing this, make sure that your thumb points upward, toward the other person's arm.
While extending your hands towards the other person, you also need to keep in mind the angel of your hand. Remember, your hand should be parallel to the hand of the other person, while being perpendicular to the floor. This will make sure that you send across a message of equality.
You need to maintain eye contact through the entire procedure of shaking hands. If you do not look into the eyes of the other person, as you shake hands with him/ her, it will come across as a sign of insincerity or even slyness. So, do not hesitate from meeting his/her eyes.
As your thumb joints come together, wrap your hand around the other person's. Now, you need to take notice of how much firmness is required in the handshake. Squeezing too hard means that you are trying too hard, while putting no pressure at all also proves to be a turn-off.
Finally, comes the pumping part! Commonly, the number of pumps is two. However, you can keep the outers limits as one and three. The main aim behind pumping is to convey a sense of warmth to the other person. You can also pat the person's hand with your free hand, if it seems okay.

Some Tips

Your hand should always be parallel to the hand of the other person. If you put your palm on top, it will tantamount to showing your dominance. On the other hand, having your hand face up will be regarded as a submissive pose.
While squeezing the hand of the other person, a lot of factors need to be taken into consideration, such as the person's age, gender, and the like. For instance, in case of old age people or women, the hand shake will be a little less firm than young men.
Just like with everything else, in case of shaking hands also, you will have to practice a lot. Try different hand shakes with your friends or family members. Depending upon their feedback, evolve a style that suits your personality the best.

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