Saturday, January 21, 2012

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 562:
The Politician's Double-Hander
































Here we see Mitt Romney in the midst of a "Politician's Double-Hander" handshake while campaigning a day before the South Carolina Primary. The former Massachusetts Governor is exampling well a particular nonverbal signal perpetuated within the political world. However, along with the vast majority of politicians, he doesn't realize that the Double-Hander is virtually always negatively received (Pease). It sends signals of false intimacy and feigned familiarity. Be warned. When anyone who doesn't know you well gives you this kind of handshake - they will always have an agenda - sometimes it is obvious, but often it's clandestine. Of course, Romney's and every other candidate's motive is to win your vote. In a nutshell, the Double-Hander sends strong nonverbal signals of insincerity. This one the last emotions any leader should ever project. What's your Sincerity Quotient?

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