Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Proper Shake.

Shaking Hands


Some of the quintessential things in life are the little things..... as we know. To me, the importance and significance of a good hand shake is almost immeasurable. There is nothing worse than offering up your hand to shake that of a new acquaintance & they stare at it oddly, almost tilting their head to the side, as if thinking, hmm, what do I with this? However, the more common -- more annoying-- thing I encounter are those who will offer up their hand; however, it is a limp, hanging blob, which makes me wonder if they want me to kiss it?? What the heck is that?!

Really? Hasn't anyone taught you how to shake hands? Hasn't the significance of shaking hands as part of a first impression ever crossed your mind? True, making a first impression with me may not cross their mind.
Nevertheless, I can appreciate a good handshake!

What exactly is this, you ask?

Well, it is a firm, one shake (while making eye contact), then let go, sort of deal. Don't offer up jelly hand or the death grip! Also, don't be the notorious shaker, thus inducing the song in my head ♫♪ this is the shake that goes on & on, yes, it goes on & on my friends...♫♪♫

I do have a former English teacher to thank for my handshake expertise. One day in class, she randomly instructed the class on how to do the perfect handshake. She had probably encountered the Jelly Hand or Sir Shakes-A-Lot and it annoyed her too! She may not be all that thrilled if she knew that was the one thing I took with me.

Either way, I'm thankful! It was one of those small gestures that has stuck with me to this day. So, I've decided, the next time I have a Financial Aid presentation for a group of students, I will end it on my own tangent, teaching them the proper handshake.

No matter where we pick up these little pieces of useful knowledge, the key is picking them up!

1 comment:

Nancy Evans said...

I used to go through the handshake routine with my senior communications class. No limpy, wimpy shakes allowed!!