1.

Sweaty Palms When a person is nervous their sympathetic nervous system often becomes
overactive, sometimes resulting in sweaty palms. Do what you can to put this individual at ease.
2. Dead Fish - Indifferent handshakes that feel like the person has no bones in their hand often
indicate a passive or reserved personality. This handshake ranks as the number two least favored.
Individuals with this type of clasp are generally not people-focused. Knowing this, you can tailor
your presentation to de-emphasize the people aspect and focus more on the mechanical or thingfocused benefits. Exceptions to this rule might be musicians and surgeons whose livelihood
depends on sensitive hands and who are therefore reluctant to open up to a bone crusher.
3. Brush Off This handshake type is a quick grasp and then a release that feels like your hand
being shoved aside. This handshake is a statement of its my turf and my agenda that matters,
yours doesnt. Listen first to what the person wants before talking about your ideas for them.
4. Controller You feel your hand being pulled toward the person or strongly guided in a
different direction, perhaps towards a chair. People who do this are controllers. This means they
want to dominate any inanimate or animate object in the room (and that would include you). If
your goals are different than theirs there may be challenges ahead. Do more listening than talking
and see if you can find common ground so these individuals can control the situation toward
your desired objective.
5. Politician Your hand is firmly grasped as in a normal handshake. However, their other hand
may cover yours or be placed on your forearm or shoulder. Unless the two of you are good
friends, this is a form of false sincerity. The person is attempting to communicate that the two of
you have a deeper relationship than you actually have. After receiving this kind of handshake, I
recommend you check your pockets or purse to see if anything is missing. Similarly, be cautious
about relying on this persons word for anything and be attentive in your dealings with them.
6. Finger Vice When someone grabs your fingers and not your entire hand it is meant to keep
you at a distance. These people are often insecure. If they also crush your fingers they are adding
a show of personal power, which is also designed to keep you at a distance or at least create
some fear of challenging them. I wouldnt recommend becoming submissive, however it will
serve your purpose to be somewhat deferential to them.
7. Bone Crusher The message of squeezing your hand until you cringe is clearly designed to
intimidate you. Even when the person may not know how strong they are, there is still a message
of intimidation and power behind the grip. You dont have to pretend to be a wimp with them,
and, in fact, they may respond positively to you if you present yourself with strength. Just dont
get into a hand-squeezing contest when you shake because then it becomes a competition and
even if you win, youll lose.
8. Lobster Claw Like the claw of a lobster, the other persons thumb and fingers touch the
palm of your hand. The person doing this fears connecting at a deep level and may have
challenges building relationships. Take your time. Allow them to open up at their own pace. As
they become more comfortable with you their handshake may actually change. Once they fully
accept you, they can become a client for life.

9. Hand Wrestler Your hand is taken normally and then twisted under the other persons. This
is usually done aggressively. Be very careful in your own presentation as this person is
absolutely committed to being on top, regardless of what they say they want.
10. Teacup This handshake feels normal except that there is no palm-to-palm contact. The
other persons palm is cupped, like a teacup. This handshake indicates that the person is hiding
something from you. It might just be a serious case of shyness or it could be something more
substantial. Always check for missing information when working with this individual.