The traditional handshake – we do it because our parents taught us and their parents taught them to do it. Its origins are in Roman Military greetings 2000 years ago, and Westerners and Europeans accept it as ‘normal’. But in places like Asia and Japan it’s still a relatively new concept that many people in those countries have only seen on Western television.
While handshaking is traditionally comfortable for Westerners and Europeans it can now also be lethal because of germ transfer.
In our book The Definitive Book of Body Language (Barbara & Allan Pease) we explain the history of the handshake and its application in making people feel relaxed and welcomed.
When we emerge from the Covid-19 Pandemic however, many people will be apprehensive about handshaking or may completely reject the concept.
So far, suggestions for new greetings include elbow touching, which is awkward, breeches physical distancing and is treated as a joke by many people; the fist bump which is a macho-style gesture that still involves the transfer of germs; or foot tapping, which looks like a silly version of River Dance.
The world will need a new, long-term greeting solution, and we’ve identified it. We recommend the use of a powerful body language greeting which can be used universally, is germ free, but still makes people feel welcome, accepted, and connected.
We call it the HEART-HELLO. Here’s how it looks:
To perform this greeting gesture, you do the following:
- Place your hand over your heart
- Smile (with your teeth visible) and lean forward
- Maintain eye contact with the person you’re greeting (this allows you to be connected to them but not submissive)
The HEART-HELLO achieves several things – first, it makes the other person feel welcome and accepted. Second, it maintains physical distancing and it’s germ free. And third, it allows you to read the other person’s full body language signals, which is not possible in an up-close handshake.
Changes in our body language behaviour are usually subtle and it takes generations to establish or modify any gesture.
In today’s unprecedented times of Covid-19, we have seen a dramatic shift in a matter of weeks of people’s perceptions in greeting each-other. And change is now being forced upon us because of this disease. It’s time for the traditional handshake to be modified – or even eliminated – because of health issues.
The HEART-HELLO gesture perfectly replaces the traditional handshake and can bond you to others instantly, and even more effectively than a handshake. Just because Roman soldiers did it 2000 years ago doesn’t mean we have to risk our health today. It’s time for a change.
The HEART-HELLO will give you the confidence you need in meeting new people and will remove the fear and uncertainly that most people currently feel.
