The Ultimate Body Language Book

they are doing when they shake hands and so don’t know how their handshakes appear to others. The
next time you get a chance, ask others what they thought of your handshake. Perhaps you carry some of
the following traits in your handshake unintentionally.
Here’s a breakdown of the various bad handshakes that I have, and that you (hopefully won’t)
experience:
1. The death grip
2. The cold dead wet fish
3. The limp fish
4. Short grabber/finger grabber
5. Stiff arm and trust forward
6. Wrench forward controller
7. Arm twister
8. Over pumper
9. Double gripper politician
10. The teacup
11. The undershaker
12. The oddball
The death grip 1: Those that employ a macho bone crushing grip have aggressive personalities and
intend to try to dominant you from the start and while this is true, the origins of this handshake and
personality usually lies in insecurity that fosters a need to prove himself at every instant. It says “I have
the power over you and can cause you pain if I so desire.” They have no regard for how others perceive
them and use pain to put people in their place. Rings on the fingers can make matters even worse, and I
think they know it! You can put these people in their place by verbalizing your pain, and drawing other
people’s attention to it jokingly. Most people wont have enough confidence to be vocal about it, which
is how the death gripper gets his power, but if done properly can make others laugh and set yourself
apart.
Instead of using bone crushing force, use moderate pressure and when in doubt match the pressure
given by the other person to signify a desire for cooperation. If you wish to set the tempo in a
relationship, then deliver only slightly more pressure than them. When applying for a job, a bone
crushing handshake should be avoided at all costs. You do not want to send a dominant or hostile
message to your potential boss.
The cold dead wet fish 2: The dead wet fish is another particularly disgusting handshake and it portrays
negative emotions to anyone that receives it. Nervousness causes sweat or even a cold drink that is
condensing causes our hands to become damp and clammy which is a turnoff to others who receive this
nasty treat. Sometimes the hands simply sweat continuously and uncontrollably from a medical
condition called hyperhidrosis which affects about five percent of the population. If you are meeting a
large amount of people, as in a cocktail party, holding a drink in the left hand, rather than the right, is a
good practice to keep it properly aired out and dry. Storing a napkin in the pocket can also help in
wiping your hands discreetly before handshakes, but even absent of a napkin, wiping them on the
inside of the leg inside a pant pocket can serve the trick. Women who usually lack attire with pockets
can lightly wipe their hands on their clothing discretely, use a napkin that holds food, or better yet or
make a few trips to the washroom if the problem is particularly severe. Keeping the hands out of your
pockets is good advice too, since the added heat and moisture will only make matters worse. Sometime
moisture issues are unavoidable and rather than dwelling on them raising anxiety further, it is better to
focus on aspects that are more controllable such as pressure and connectivity.
The limp fish 3: The flaw in the limp fish handshake is that it has far too little pressure – the handshake