A handshake means something.

Wrong

Today, I reached out and offered a handshake to a young millennial. Don't think I'm picking on that age group, that's just what he was. He's not a friend of mine on social media, so he probably won't read this blog...but if so...good.

I remember my dad telling me as a young man, "offer a tight squeeze, and look the person in the eye".  This young man didn't attend the Jerry Swicegood School of Handshakes. I honestly felt like I was holding the hand of a corpse. It was limp and lethargic. If the hand had a personality, I would have called it melancholy.

A short search on google identifies that the custom of handshakes started in the medieval times. As dangerous as those times were, it was important to demonstrate that you weren't carrying a weapon. Later it became a customary way for a gentleman to politely greet one another. Then it was a demonstration of a bond, an agreement. Today it is gender neutral.

Right

In 2017, I don't think that "bond or agreement" would hold up in court, but I am certain it is a polite way to greet someone and demonstrate the emotion for which  you have in meeting someone. The eye contact part of that exchange is to authenticate your sincerity in the meeting of a person. I think we have all seen someone with shifty eyes. It makes us uncomfortable.

I say all that to say this: we all want to be received as credible and authentic. Whether its in business or in social settings. Consider your handshake and eye contact. If its difficult, break through the fear because the dividends it will pay in the minds of the people that meet you is in-calculable.