An often overlooked and sometimes disregarded business practice is the proper handshake.

Of the thousands of hands I have had the pleasure to shake over the years, the Limp Dead Fish has got to be one of the most common handshakes I get.  Of course, I don’t want to exclude the persons who show me who is in charge with their Vice Grip or their Power Over handshakes.  Or the opposite, the Weakling leave out the So Happy to Meet You person who is so enthusiastic about meeting me that they continue shaking my hand AND my arm too.  Finally, there is that handshake we all dread … the Cold and Clammy.  It is the one that makes you want to run to the nearest sink to soap up your hands.

A great handshake that communicates confidence takes a little practice.  Here is what to do:

  1. Make eye contact
  2. Smile
  3. Use your right hand (make sure it is dry)
  4. Connect the web of your hand to the web of the other persons hand (in the case you aren’t sure where the web is located, it is the part between your thumb and your index finger.)
  5. Point all fingers downward
  6. Grip firmly
  7. Pump two to three times
  8. Release

Congratulations!  You just gave a handshake that said, “I’m confident, happy to be here, and I am ready for the business at ‘hand’”.

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun.)