A Good Handshake in Business Says Much About You - Advice on Body Language From an Image Consultant

When you meet someone for the first time, yousituations where you are meeting new people all the
only have thirty seconds to make a lasting impressiontime, you grow accustomed to shaking hands and
so it needs to be a good one. Making direct eyecan do so without any stress. Women who rarely
contact, smiling and confidently shaking hands areshake hands can find doing so very scary and need
incredibly important personal body language signalssome help and practice to develop a confident
that you send out to other people. As an imagehandshake.
consultant, advice on body language forms a hugeYour handshake also expresses the amount of
part of my work.respect you hold for others. If, when approaching a
How you shake hands can indicate how confidentgroup, you only shake the hands of a few and ignore
you are and how much respect you have for thethe rest you are sending clear signals that the
other person. Handshakes express your confidenceremaining people are not as important in your
to others in two ways. First, by how quickly youestimation.
offer your hand upon meeting someone sinceA limp, wet fish, a finger-tip squeezer or a bone
hesitation conveys uncertainly and lack of confidence.crusher handshake are to be avoided at all costs. Aim
Second, by the firmness of your grip. If it's weak itfor a firm, direct grip that puts the 'web' between
says you are unsure of yourself and it it's too firmyour thumb and forefinger directly in contact with
you can come over as too confident and egotistical.that of the person whose hand you are shaking.
A firm and direct handshake in conjunction with aAnything less is a sign of weakness, anything more is
smile and eye contact will communicate to otherstoo threatening.
that you are a trustworthy person and you knowHandshakes in all walks of life are very important but
who you are.in business if you fail to extend your hand to others
Handshakes also tell others if you've travelled a lot oryou will quickly lose credibility. Feel confident in all
lived life where you only socialize with very familiaraspects of body language by visiting an image
friends. Through working or travelling abroad inconsultant.