The Ultimate Body Language Book

Chapter 14 - Office Body Language
Thwarting Dominant Handshakes
Simply trying to reverse the wrist when present palm down is very risky, sometimes impossible and
also make your intentions obvious. Instead use the step to the right technique outline by Dr. David
Lewis in his book The Secret Language Of Success. It is done first by stepping forward toward the
person with the left foot. This will feel unnatural when shaking with the right hand as the tendency is to
step forward with the right foot. Next, step forward with the right foot and move across and in front of
the person to their left side. In the process, rotate your palm downward to even your wrist with theirs
and complete the maneuver by moving your right foot across.
This technique is especially important if you wish to thwart the power plays of a particularly prominent
palm up hand-shaker and wish to send a strong signal of authority back. To send an even stronger
message or if it’s impossible to make complete the full maneuver, authority can be given by invading
their personal space. Short gripping the hand and grabbing the fingers can also be effective if you do
not which to entertain them at all, and the most brazen of moves, includes grabbing the top of their
wrist and shaking it with your palm. The normal reaction will be shock and surprise but your message
will be loud and clear. To counter the right hand technique, which if you are following is the counter to
the counter, is to hold the arm rigid and bracing it against your side and holding the person away from
your body. Eye contact during these moves can add even more strength. Great care must be exercised
with these handshakes as they can often escalate hostility, however, at times they are necessary to assert
your position and rank within your company.
Chapter 14 - Office Body Language
Handshake Advice For Women And Men With
Small Hands
While you might think it has little effect, a firm handshake from a woman where it might be least
expected, can be very powerful and get them noticed. In fact, to this day, I still recall the first woman
that impressed me with her handshake and the exact location in which it occurred, and this was nearly
ten years ago!
Women with good handshakes and dominant body language will have a better chance of securing more
important roles in corporations such as supervisors and managers, and get to these positions much
faster. To avoid having their entire hand enveloped by a man’s, women should thrust their entire hand
forward holding the thumb at ninety degrees to their palm with the hand in a perfectly vertical position.
Next, thrust the hand forward aiming the web, which is the skin located between the thumb and index
finger so that it aligns with the web of his hand. To some degree this prevents the larger hand from fully
engulfing the smaller hand as is when hands are only weakly thrust forward, or not thrust at all. In these
cases, the small handed person usually ends up with their finger tips being crushed by the mitts of the
larger hand!