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GREETING BODY LANGUAGE

Image by TeroVesalainen from Pixabay

There is no universal standard when it comes to greeting body language, because the styles of greeting vary significantly all over the world, across cultures and social groups. There are many reasons for greeting, from the proverbial ice-breaker, to letting someone know secretly that you belong to the same club.

Whatever the reason for the greeting, formality is usually an important factor, particularly where the setting is formal. The more informal and casual greetings are usually reserved for friends, or those with whom we would like to strike up a friendship.

There are indeed many types of greeting, and before we get into the details of these, let us quickly clarify just what a greeting actually is.

Intro to Greetings

Greetings are defined as polite words or signs of welcome or recognition. As eluded to previously, these vary depending on your local, but the essence of them remains the same.

So what constitutes true greeting behavior?

True Greeting Behavior

There are many ways of politely recognizing someone. There are as many ways of welcoming them. These include, but are in no way limited to, the following:

• Handshakes: they vary in, amongst other things, texture, strength, duration, complexity, speed and temperature. How you shake someone’s hand also has various connotations. A firm grip, for example, shows confidence, and a long handshake indicates dominance or pleasure.
• Bowing: This varies according to gender, for example, where gentlemen would bow, and ladies would curtsy. Bows vary in pivots, lowering and duration too. The styles of bowing are different too, and maintaining eye contact during a bow can indicate either liking or mistrust.
• Words: You can either use informal words like ‘hi’ or ‘howsit’ or, alternatively, use for formal words like ‘hello’, or ‘good day’!
• Hugging: From simply placing your hand on the other person’s shoulder, to a full embrace, all the way to the differences between a man hugging a man and when he hugs a woman, one thing is clear: hugging is a more affectionate greeting than handshaking.
• Kissing: Another affection, albeit intimate greeting, also has a number of variations.  From body involvement to whether it is on the lips, cheek or mouth, to duration and tongue, all of these indicate the level of familiarity between the parties kissing.
• Salute: Shape of the hand, head touch, speed and shape are variations of the salute. You can also either shade your eyes from your superior, or raise your hat to show a dispelling of fear or to allow for recognition.
• Waving: Open palm, direction, movement, and raised are all variations of the wave. Waving can happen from a distance, or with a stationary hand. Or, especially with children, with small up and down movements of the fingers.
• Faial signals: A great way of sending greeting signals, you a look down, raise your eyebrows, frown, pull your eyebrows together or smile.

There are other ways, of course, to convey greeting. You can touch or raise your hat, rub your noses together, move your body through specifically defined locus, or give gifts. All of the above are examples of true greeting. What constitutes a fake greeting, then?

Image by Werner Heiber from Pixabay

 Fake Greeting Behavior

Fake greetings really fall into two categories. One is where the greeting itself is not genuine, and you are just doing it to be polite or to seem to be taking the moral high ground. This is seen, for example, when you know that someone has spoken ill of you behind your back, but for the sake of appearances you must be seen to be cordial and agreeable.

The other instance isn’t so much fake, but it is where the greeting of a certain area or culture is not like your own, and for the purpose of fitting in, you greet in the style of the land or context you find yourself in.

Short Examples

There are obvious examples of greetings. Handshakes in the western world, kissing on the cheeks in Europe, especially Paris, and nose touching by the Eskimos. Again, this is really determined by your local.

However, interestingly, some of these greetings have transcended geographical borders. Kissing on the cheeks has by way of example, made its way into western culture. Handshakes, as a further example, are now an internationally accepted means of greeting.

 Conclusion

There are ways that you can ensure that you make a positive impression when greeting somebody. A warm smile, direct eye contact, and a firm handshake are a few ways. Repeat their name back to them, by saying, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, John!”

Be proactive and introduce yourself when you meet people for the first time. And when you meet people that you do know, as more people join the group, be proactive again and greet them first, introducing yourself to people you don’t know.

You need to remember, that you have about 60 seconds to build credibility. This is the amount of time it takes for people to judge you. So your greeting needs to be well crafted, and on point. It doesn’t matter if you are meeting people for the first time, you need to have well-thought-out greetings in your arsenal, in order to gain the credibility you wish to attain with them quickly.

You need to take the context into account, too. Greet people appropriately, no matter where you meet them. A Japanese man, for example, will appreciate a bow regardless of whether you meet him in New York City.

Another good trick to use is greeting people in their language. They will not expect you to be fluent in their language, but that you took the time to learn a basic greeting will definitely earn you points. You will gain their trust, and they will like you just that much more.

The entire scope of greetings is really wide. There are more greetings in the world than there are ways of saying ‘hello’. You would do well to keep yourself abreast of these methods, if you are to make a positive impression on the person you are greeting!

References

Todd Smith, 10 Ways to Make A Positive Impression When Greeting People

Gary Gernard, Speak For Success, (July 26, 2015)

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