When I was much, much younger—early teens, I believe—my father taught me what he considered the proper way to shake hands.
Key to his technique was to grip my contact’s hand firmly, to look that person directly in the eye, and to say—with great confidence and enthusiasm—something pithy, like, “Nice to meet you!”
I took that advice to heart, and it has served me well throughout the ensuing years. Further, I was able to back up that self-introductory confidence with the rest of my behavior to significant personal and professional effect, but it’s the handshake that opens the conversation.
It was, therefore, of some interest to me to find this item, which provided some scientific basis for the success of this technique.
I didn’t need this verification, but it was fascinating to find that there were measurable consequences to this simple act.
Questions: Have you ever taken stock of how you not only shake hands, but introduce yourself, generally? What (if anything) are you trying to convey with this social ritual? What do you think your contact concludes as a result of your actions? Can you generalize this action and its consequences to other situations?