Look People in the Eye and Have a Firm Handshake

This piece of advice comes courtesy of my 8th-grade science teacher before an awards ceremony. Look people in the eye and have a firm handshake.

I feel like my husband, and I have worked their entire lives to teach our children this essential school.

Both of my children are introverts, and they tend to get quiet around strangers and avert their eyes.

Since kindergarten, we have instructed them to look their teacher in the eye and give them a firm handshake when they first meet.

Hopefully, this skill will be engrained in them once they are adults and we aren’t there to give a reminder.

A Firm Handshake is an Essential Skill

Every one of us has experienced a wimpy handshake.

It is gross and creepy, especially if you are shaking a man’s hand.

Women, the best way to exude confidence and strength is to have a firm handshake.

The only exception to this rule is if you are royalty and you are offering your hand to the person bowed before you.

And since you aren’t the Queen of England, this advice applies to you.

So the next time you accept an award (because that happens ALL the time as an adult) or meet someone new, look them in the eye, extend your hand, and shake their hand firmly.

Read all 50 pieces of advice I shared in honor of my 50th birthday.