Shake On It
When's the last time you put 'er there?
Many historians believe the tradition of shaking hands began in
medieval Europe, where a person (typically a man) would offer a
newly met stranger his right hand to show it held no weapon.
The handshake has since evolved into the polite greeting we know
today, but a recent study conducted by Dr. Allen Konopacki of the
Incomm Center for Trade Show Research in Chicago indicates the
handshake is far more than a simple gesture--it's actually the
beginning of a relationship.
With the help of a group of students, Konopacki conducted an
experiment in which a quarter was left in the coin return of a
public telephone. If a stranger took the coin after using the
phone, a student would walk up and ask whether the person had seen
the quarter. The result? Sixty percent of the 75 people asked lied
to the students and said they had not seen the quarter.
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In the next series of 75 confrontations, the students introduced
themselves with a handshake before asking about the quarter.
Surprisingly, less than 15 percent of the strangers lied to the
students.
The study concluded the handshakes had improved the quality of
the interaction, producing, as Konopacki says, "a higher
degree of intimacy and trust within a matter of seconds."
This "handshake effect," as Konopacki refers to it,
also applies to salespeople. "If a person walks into a store
or an exposition and is greeted with a handshake," he says,
"he or she is more likely to remember the exhibit and spend
more time with the salesperson, who ends up getting a better
quality contact or lead."
Contact Source
Incomm Center for Trade Show Research, (312) 642-9377,
http://www. tradeshowresearch.com