Get a Grip

 

I am quick to admit that I make judgments about people based on how they shake hands.  Guilty as charged.  I have always been annoyed by a weak handshake but became increasingly annoyed after a conversation with some colleagues over dinner. 

A few years ago I worked with a gentleman who may have been the funniest person I have ever known in My. Entire. Life!  One evening at dinner after a day of training, a group of us got on the topic of a weak handshake.  Scott proceeded to impersonate a time when he was greeted with a weak handshake from a gentleman and I thought I was going to lose it, I was laughing so hard at his impersonation.  After the tears of laughter slowed and the evening settled, I began thinking about the power of a handshake.  So, I did a little research on the power of a handshake.  Here is what I found…

Research shows that the handshake matters.  It does in fact contribute to “first impressions.”  Your handshake actually reflects certain personality characteristics.  And the research shows that when it comes to self-promotion, handshake etiquette may be more important for women than for men. 

A handshake speaks volumes.  A handshake that isn’t firm will signal a lack of authority, a lack of confidence.  One that is too firm could make you seem overly aggressive.  According to an article by University of Alabama psychologist William F. Chaplin, a firm handshake corresponded to the measured personality factors and found that it does correlate with factors such as “openness to new experience” and extraversion.  Those who did not have a “firm handshake” were found to score higher on measures of “neuroticism” (which means that they tend to be more prone to anxiety) and to display more “shyness.”  In other words, from your handshake, people can learn whether or not you are shy and anxious, and whether you are “open” and outgoing.  The key points here may seem obvious, but it is worth repeating: people do in fact form impressions based on the quality of your handshake, and those impressions do reflect certain elements of your personality.

 So, for the love of all things holy, if you have a weak handshake…stop it.  Stop it already.  If you aren’t ready to commit to a stronger handshake, then by all means…confuse them with a  fist bump despite its informality…it may leave a better impression.    

I felt the discussion of a handshake is imperative to the life of entrepreneurs because let’s face it, we start with little to nothing when we take the risk of starting our new ventures, but the one thing we do have to sell to all that are paying attention, ourselves.  We sell our personality, our commitment, our strength, our ability to engage people and grow a following…well guess what, this starts with a handshake.