The Best Handshake in the World

 

My blogging friend Jacob Share at Job Mob wrote a great post about the importance of a good handshake.

Here are 10 of his 21 reasons a new friend left a memorable first impression on him with his just-right handshake:

1.  Softness – nobody likes shaking hands with sandpaper.

2.  No bandages or casts – you don’t want people to think they might hurt you by shaking your hand.

3.  Clean – the only thing worse than worrying about hurting someone’s hand is worrying about catching something from them.
 
4.  Few rings or none – the fewer the rings, the less chance of pinching and hurting someone’s hand.

5.  Confident reach – don’t wait for someone’s hand to come to yours. Reach for theirs and meet it.

6.  Good timing – lock hands without any fumbling, sliding one hand into the other. Aim for the palm, not the fingers.

7.  Solid grasp – avoid the dreaded “dead fish”, offering a limp hand. But don’t squeeze so hard you cause pain.
 
8.  Look them in the eye – to prove you’re genuine and sincere.

9.  Know when to let go – a good shake usually involves a palm squeeze and release, but be careful if the other person is too quick or too slow, which could lead to an awkward moment. Instead, with a confident reach, be first to engage and disengage.

10.  Make it memorable to encourage loyalty – a great handshake is one that makes people want to shake your hand again. For that, they’ll need to have you around them again.
 

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