A SOFT HANDSHAKE
I get caught out all the time. It’s like I’m constantly on the back foot. Where did the time go? Oh crap I haven’t done [whatever] and now I have to do [whatever]. A journalist recently promised to do a write up on us and when I followed up she replied “Yikes, I did promise.” Her response really made me laugh out loud because it is something I say to myself all the time. Yikes!... It got me thinking about a soft handshake and I’m not actually talking about ‘sort of’ promises but literally the firmness of your handshake when you meet someone.
I wonder if it is an issue especially for men? There is an unwritten rule that a handshake should never be too soft or too firm. It is a matter of substance, a show of how assertive or passive or aggressive you are. Will you do what you say or are you soft and easily lead?
It’s a little ridiculous but when someone shakes my hand and it’s not firm enough, I judge them. And when someone, usually a man, crushes me in a handshake I judge them and scream (in my head) “what are you doing!?” I meet a lot of people now. That’s hard for a wallflower like me but it is a necessary evil when running a business. And all these social interactions are a lesson in well, social interaction. I’ve learnt that promotion is manipulative and communication is cooperative. As such, don’t worry I am not going to start talking about moisturising your hands in this piece because in the moment when a handshake looms I go for an air-kiss which has a whole other set of rules.
