The Body Language of the Handshake
Business people, politicians, diplomats, and others have made a science of the handshake. It’s a big deal. How the handshake is done is as much about stature, status, and expectations as just saying hello. For example, if relations are friendly, then the handshake may include the second hand grasping the upper arm or encapsulating the hand. If relations are unfriendly, the handshake may not happen at all. The side that considers itself superior will seek to have their hand on top. People who meet on equal footing will meet each other in the center of the space and give a mutual handshake with hands to the side.
Handlers spend hours coaching leaders how to do this.
So… here’s the Obama Menvedev handshake (swiped from Drudge).
What do you see?
Menvedev is upright. Obama is coming to him with wide strides. Menvedev’s hand is on top. Menvedev is clearly using the handshake to establish dominance.
Many Americans may scoff at these little things, but many American and Russian allies and enemies are looking and taking note.
I learned basic handshake language welling cars…. Big O is clearly wagging his tail coming to Menvedev. I am kind of surprised that he isn’t kissing his ring.
Posted by Clint on July 06, 2009 at 1227 hrs
Jerry Seinfeld also had something to say about this, from 1:19 to 2:08 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSfGzdrjkbo
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 06, 2009 at 1231 hrs
Dang it… I didn’t expect the Seinfeld link until comment #4. I underestimated our commenters.
Posted by Owen on July 06, 2009 at 1232 hrs
Alternatively, Obama looks friendly and Medvedev looks like a stiff, conceited douchebag.
A hundred good things to nail Obama on and you want to talk about how he shakes hands. Have any graphology concerns while you’re at it? Maybe his capital B says that he’s an incorrigible tax raiser.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on July 06, 2009 at 1248 hrs
It’s not a matter of how he looks to you or most Americans. You are looking at it through the narrow view of your own culture. While America has shed much of the theater of the handshake, most other cultures still put a lot of stock in it. Ask your average Arab, Japanese, or French (or Russian, for that matter) diplomat about the importance of the greeting.
Posted by Owen on July 06, 2009 at 1256 hrs
Snapshots give you a funny view of reality and often don’t present the full picture. But I do have to agree that in these photos - he looks like a dog coming to his master.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 06, 2009 at 1308 hrs
I agree. I was looking for a video, but couldn’t find one. I’m sure they will be out by the evening news.
Posted by Owen on July 06, 2009 at 1309 hrs
I bet claims of seeing into someone’s soul (as Bush did after first meeting Putin) give your average Arab, Japanese, French or Russian, diplomat more insight into the caliber of our president’s leadership than rightwing bloggers handshake analyses.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 06, 2009 at 1313 hrs
A hundred good things to nail Obama on and you want to talk about how he shakes hands.
We’ve also talked about how he bows ...
Posted by hsgbdmama on July 06, 2009 at 1331 hrs
You did cover Obama’s salutation to a Saudi, but I don’t recall you covering Bush’s hat-in-hand trip to Saudi Arabia when he asked them to increase oil production (of course they didn’t). Your average diplomat cares about substantive discussions, your average partisan blogger cares about salutations.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 06, 2009 at 1345 hrs
At any point did I say that the greeting mattered more than substantive issues?
I thought not.
Posted by Owen on July 06, 2009 at 1354 hrs
Are you not insinuating that Obama’s interactions with foreign leaders are jeopardizing our global standing?
I am making the point that such an insinuation is laughable when you take the performance of Obama’s predecessors into account.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 06, 2009 at 1400 hrs
No, I think his policies are jeopardizing our global standing. I’m saying that he miffed the greeting of a key foreign leader.
Posted by Owen on July 06, 2009 at 1402 hrs
Image matters and photographs are powerful. Diplomats argue over the size and shape of tables. Nations have gone to war over misconstrued gestures. Bill Clinton acted in Kosovo due in part to the images coming back to the states.
For a President who based his entire candidacy and now presidency on image, he’s not doing a very good job conducting himself accordingly. But I voted for substance over symbolism, so what do I care.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 06, 2009 at 1415 hrs
Yeah I gotta go with Recess on this one. Medvedev looks like he has a major stick up his ass. If that means he’s more powerful or better situated to benefit in tense negotiations in the eyes of the rest of the world, so be it. I don’t care. We’ll see what the substance brings…
Posted by Mike on July 06, 2009 at 1458 hrs
In any case, Medvedev is a tinkle pants compared to Putin, who installed him in his current position.
Posted by Mike on July 06, 2009 at 1459 hrs
Image can only exist as long as the substantive supports it. Image matters right up to the point where everything gets screwed up. At that point image goes out with the rest of the trash until the substantive puts everything back in order, creating the environment where image can once more exist.
This handshake business is a nice summary of our current national woes and how we arrived here by emphasizing the irrelevant over the substantive.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 06, 2009 at 1502 hrs
If I recall back to my ancient diplomatic protocol days, the host has the upper hand (pun intended but still relevant) in these matters.
Still, it is always a matter of oneupmanship in making you look better than the other guy. A prime example of this was when Reagan met Gorby for the first time in REYKJAVIK, Iceland. It was freezing cold and Regan met Gorby as Gorby got out of his car in a frumpy overcoat, hat, scarf. Reagan had just a suit on and looked great with his full beam smile. Gorby was stunned. The rest was history.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 06, 2009 at 1654 hrs
Pics are from knees-up to hide knee pads…
Posted by Smeety on July 06, 2009 at 1740 hrs
John, I think you may be conflating the Geneva summit in November 1985 with the Reykjavik summit in October 1986. In Reykjavik, Reagan met Gorbachev on the steps at Hofdi House, the negotiation site. If you can produce visual evidence of Reagan greeting Gorbachev outside a plane in Iceland, I’ll eat my words. But I’m sure I can find video or images to support my claim.
The coat incident that you are romanticizing occurred in Geneva, and only occurred because Reagan took off his jacket at the last second at the advice of an adviser because there was concern that Reagan would old and frail if he was too bundled up. After all, he was waiting inside a chateau that the U.S. had rented for the meeting. All he needed to do was walk about 30 feet out the front door, greet Gorbachev, take a few pictures, and go back inside.
Also, Reykjavik isn’t “freezing cold” in October. The climate in Iceland, especially on the coast, is extremely temperate. It’s about the same as NYC. Even Geneva in November is usually not too bad. Chilly, maybe, but hardly unbearable.
Oh, and here’s your “frumpy overcoat.”
Not disagreeing about the importance of imagery at all, but facts are good things too.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on July 06, 2009 at 1830 hrs
Sorry, the whole link didn’t copy. My apologies. Here it is.
http://www.eureka.edu/news/images/fall08/gorbachev_press/Gorbachev_Reagan Geneva_summit2_1985.jpg
Posted by Recess Supervisor on July 06, 2009 at 1832 hrs
Yeah, guess it’s not going to work when clicking the button converts percent-20 to a space. We’ll try this one instead…
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/02/reagan-excerpt200902
Hopefully that doesn’t get mangled after I preview and hit submit.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on July 06, 2009 at 1838 hrs
RS:
If you can produce visual evidence of Reagan greeting Gorbachev outside a plane in Iceland, I’ll eat my words.
Where did I mention a plane? Bon Appetite!
Nevertheless, the event I described was Geneva, not Iceland.“Facts are good things too.” Great advice. Don’t eat yellow snow. My tip to you although it may be too late.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 06, 2009 at 2119 hrs
First reaction, you’ve gotta be kidding me, this is what we’re talking about?
Second reaction, the only time I ever see anyone offer their hand the way Menvedev is in that picture is in a movie, when the woman is expecting her suitor to kiss the back of it.
Seriously, what guy doesn’t offer their hand open palm facing up?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 06, 2009 at 2353 hrs
Sorry John, no idea where that plane thing came from or how it got stuck in my head. My apologies.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on July 07, 2009 at 0207 hrs
RS. No problemo.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 07, 2009 at 0832 hrs
Could we not say from the first photo that Obama has a wide stance?
Posted by james wigderson on July 07, 2009 at 1337 hrs
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