Polished, Professional Non-Contact Greetings to Use During the Pandemic
Polished, Professional Non-Contact Greetings
to Use During the Pandemic
We are in the midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic; and we have been advised to avoid hugging, kissing or shaking hands when we see someone we know or meet someone for the first time. So, what would be the appropriate non-contact way to greet someone in the professional arena when we encounter them this fall?
First of all, smile and make direct eye contact with the person. Even if you are wearing a mask, which hopefully you will be, a smile will evident.
Then, you have the following non-contact choices for what to do next instead of shaking their hand:
-
You can simply nod your head as you state your greeting: “Hello, Mr. Johnson. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Of course, if you are greeting an Asian business person, you might nod your head lower, only slightly bowing if you are not Asian. Bowing is a sign of respect in the Asian culture.
-
You can put your hand over your heart as you state your greeting. Many cultures associate this gesture with honesty. It indicates that one is not bearing arms—as does the handshake– or that one appears to have genuine intentions, or is giving one’s word of honor. Of course in the United States we put our hand over our heart when pledging allegiance to the flag.
-
You can use the respectful Hindu Namaste greeting, which is done by placing one’s palms together, fingers pointed upwards and drawing the hands to the heart, while bowing your head slightly. It is not necessary to say Namaste unless you are Hindu. This is a greeting I have seen a number of world leaders use.
-
A gesture that works for all brains in all cultures, according to John Tierney, is the “no-fear greeting,” or “palm-show” cue. It is done by bending your right forearm along your side and showing an open palm. Exposing an open-palm is a universally-recognized sign of nonaggression.
-
You can use the Vulcan Salute, although like the Namaste greeting when the word “Namaste” is uttered, it has a religious connotation. It is a Jewish symbol that comes from the Torah and means live long and prosper. It is done by raising one’s hand, with space between the middle and ring fingers. and the index fingers and thumb. It was a greeting used by Mr. Spock in Star Trek.
-
Or lastly, you can wave at the person; but if you wave, be sure to restrain your wave unless waving at a friend; and by all means avoid using the royal/regal wave unless you are a member of the royal family. Waving is a friendly, universally-understood gesture. I prefer this greeting for the social arena, rather than the professional arena, but it all depends on your particular business environment. If it is less formal, this greeting would be fine.
You will note I did not recommend elbow bumps. Although I have seen a number of political figures and global leaders use this greeting, it looks unprofessional to me; and according to the World Health Organization, they are too close for comfort. What elbow bumps do do is provide a bit of levity or comic relief to those who employ them; and in these stressful times that is not a bad thing.
If you are in doubt as to which non-contact greeting to use, I recommend using the one your colleagues use to build rapport with them; or if you are a junior executive meeting a senior executive or have a job interview or meeting with a client, I recommend deferring to that person by adopting his or her preferred non-contact greeting. Of course, another factor to consider is if you are meeting a person from a different culture. That is why the handshake is so ideal and will be missed until contact greetings are safe again. It is the most appropriate, professional greeting that was hitherto used around the globe—a greeting that was never misunderstood.
In case you missed the wonderful segment this spring on the end of handshaking that appeared on “CBS Sunday Morning News,” below is the link to it. I was pleased to be interviewed for it.
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-end-of-the-handshake/#x