A professional handshake begins with eye contact, a smile, and good posture. Long before you extend your hand, you should begin to make an emotional connection. Making eye contact, smiling, and maintaing a healthy posture are indeed three powerful nonverbal behaviors that communicate confidence, trust, and sincerity, enabling you to become more attractive, approachable, and memorable. As a basic sign of respect, if you need to shake someone's hand and you're sitting, arise to the occasion. As you stand, quickly and discreetly make certain that your hand is dry by pressing it against your side then move toward the other party. The idea is to meet in the middle, ending with your left foot slightly forward, rendering balance and leverage for a firm handshake. Close the gap by quickly shifting your body forward.

Reach forward with your right hand, unless the other person's right hand is unavailable, keeping your elbow in and slightly flexed. While networking, keep beverages in your left hand, so that your right is available for shaking. Your hand should open, ensuring that your palm is perpendicular to the floor and your thumb points upward. Be sure to fully expose the web of your hand, the fleshy part between your index finger and thumb. Critically important is that the web of your hand touch the web of the other person's hand, first, before your fingers wrap around. In fact, initial web-to-web contact is the key to a successful handshake, ensuring tightness and eventual firmness. The strength of the grip should be strong enough to apply and feel a comfortable pressure, as when holding a hammer or baseball bat.

Keep in mind that handshaking is a crucial part of greeting and farewell etiquette. Limp grips fail to impress while crushing grips are overbearing and obnoxious. Regardless of gender, make a dazzling impression with a firm handshake. Habitually practice and check your hand pressure with several people to ensure that you are communicating confidence and camaraderie. Moreover, maintain your forearm perpendicular to the floor to show equality. A palm facing downwards communicates authority while a palm facing upwards broadcasts submission. Depending on the situation, decide if you want to gently correct this or not, by gently moving the other person's hand during the shake.

To bring the handshake to an end, pump the arm thrice or up to five times. Be aware not to linger too long: three to four seconds is typical. Once you feel the grip of the other person loosen, you should quickly let go. Always observe handshake subtleties. In the business world, generally shake before and after a meeting, noticing possible differences between the first and second shakes. Differences are reliable indicators that the meeting may have or not have gone well.