Body Language

Shaking Hands Series- Part One

Body Language | Shaking Hands | part One

Control Power

Communication gestures of the parts of the ” body language ” among human beings, comprising ” shaking hands ” with all palm positions, reflects and affects person’s thoughts. ” Handshaking ” , as a kind of communication movements of ” body language ” , reveals what is going on mind and materialize by either ” hands ” palms upward or ” hands ” palm downward, or by any other ” hands ” palm positions.

What about shaking ” hands ” between two leaders in which the symbolic of Dominance and control in ” body language “?

Body Language | Shaking Hands | part One

Dominant interprets his/ her thoughts of superiority throughout his/her palm upward in shaking hands to show the others his/her authority and impression.

In this communication humility and leadership appear to be opposites. As when two leaders meet and greet each other, like Roman Leaders, the stronger leader tries to do all his best to make the other to be submissive, and his hand helping him would be the upper one when shaking ” hands “.

Shaking hands is mostly the foremost outline of dealing others have with you. You intentionally, as mentioned above, transmit the thoughts you are thinking about throughout these three gestures of ” body language ” :

Domination and Heedfulness : Dominance position is used by the authority owner towards his/ her subalterns to say to them ” you are under my control”. In conscientiousness way, it creates a kind of heedfulness at others’ mind , who know something about power games, to pay more attention and prevent the dominant not to sleeve them.
Submission: Like all parts of the ” body language ” , submissive ” handshaking ” reflects human beings’ inner thoughts and indications that denote to meekness. When person intends to show a kind of humility and submission, he/ she intentionally shakes ” hands ” with palm upward to give the other person the rule of ascendant, as to tells him/ her that “I am at your service “.
Equality: If you do not pay more attention to gestures of all parts of ” body language ” movements including ” shaking hands ” , you would be under the user’s Power who uses this movement for absolution others. In some ways, that means non equality. To show more respectability for the other and to make him/ her feels comfortable with you, use attitude of equality when shake his/ her hand.

Above mentioned ” body language ” gestures may be transmitted or received unintentionally, but affect our relations with each other.

Body Language | Shaking Hands | part One

In the 1970s, the styles of ” shaking hands ” had been documented in some business skills classes and taught as business strategies need training and application to be affected in communication. these strategies which, with a little practice, can dramatically influence any face-to-face meeting, as Dominance is transmitted by a hand palm downward in the “shaking hands “. Your palm doesn’t have to face directly down, but is the upper hand and communicates that you want to take control of the meeting. Another study had been applied on 350 persons of high administrative positions, 89% of them were men, show that:

Almost of directors are not only the beginners in ” shaking hands” , but also they are dominant.
Men used the Dominant position more than the women. As 88% of males, of those 350 persons, while the ratio of females is 31% .
Authority and Dominance attitudes are less important to women rather men. May be this is the reason why one third ( one of each three ) meant women try to use the Upper Hand ritual .
Some women used a Coquet movement (a reference of submission) by giving soft handshake indication as an appearance of femininity in some social meetings. they would not be considers seriously both by other women or by men.

This does not mean that women in the workplace need to act in a masculine way, but simply avoiding signals ” body of language ” indicated femininity if she wants credibility equal with men. So, if woman want to be considered as a man parallel , especially in business, they have to avoid this position of ” handshaking ” at all cost.

A study, by William Chaplin at the University of Alabama In 2001, had been carried out into ” handshaking ” found that extended ” hands ” palms used fixed ” hand shakings ” revealed not shy and non-neurotic characteristic. Chaplin also found that women who offered their ” hands ” for fixed ” handshaking ” are extroverts to new theories, but men used the same position whether they were open to new attitudes or not. So, women who want to establish a good business relationship are advised use firm ” handshaking ” , especially, with men.

write by : Nora Mustfa

Keywords :

Body language, body, language, hand shaking, shaking hands, hand, palm, how to read body language, body language singes

Body Language | Shaking Hands | part One