by josh9922 » Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:12 pm
I would like to thank Ale for his comments on handshakes. I am an Australian in graduate school in the US, and typically greet by handshake. I do not quite understand why, but I have come across my fair share of watery handshakes while in the US, from students and professors in equal proportion I might add.
A handshake that leaves a good first impression is relatively easy to learn. Simply extend your hand, with your fingers outstretched so they do not look limp, and then apply pressure on the other shaker until you sense a firm grip. You are not trying to crush the other hand, but you must make firm contact. One can practice by shaking your own hand.
The skill in the handshake comes from determining the correct amount of pressure to apply for a given person. Typically, people with large hands have a firmer grip. Do not use a "one grip for all", you must be able to adapt. Practice on your friends and family!
There is another important aspect to the handshake. When shaking, you must make eye contact! Do not look at "the shake", i.e. head down. Hopefully, one can see why the handshake naturally integrates itself into an introduction -- if you give a good handshake, you will immediately establish eye contact. Eye contact implies your head is up, so you will appear confident (even if you are not). You will also be within (at most) 2 arm lengths of the other person and they will be more likely to hear you introduce yourself (even if there is background noise).
Cheers
JG