Have you ever had a really awkward handshake where you just couldn't get a good grip on their hand? A handshake can tell you a lot about a person by their approach and how they handle the handshake. Whether it's just a casual handshake with someone you know or the manager about to interview you, your handshake can make quite an impression. Some say that a handshake is just an empty courtesy and others say that it is an essential action that helps each person learn more from each other. In my English class here at Appalachian State University, we were sent to observe the way students here greeted each other. I rarely saw students shaking hands with each other. Only in one case in all the data I recorded did I see a hand tremor occur. There are many characteristics that a handshake shows you and it is an important action to help you make a good impression. Not many people of college age or younger shake hands anymore. It has become a foreign form of communication and is usually only associated with more professional confrontations. “Few people have any idea how they come across to others in first meetings, despite the fact that most of us are aware that the first minutes of that meeting can make or break a relationship” (Pease 64). In the data I recorded, the two people greeting each other were male and seemed like good friends. They were definitely Southern gentlemen from the way they spoke. They both smile and shake hands asking the other, "Hey man, what's good about you?" with the other willingly replying, “Not much, you?” Such a simple way of saying goodbye and made both of them realize that they were happy to see each other. Instead of a fri... middle of paper... ndshake should be used in large crowds to make sure you are just trying to appear friendly. “Remember that the handshake evolved as a gesture to greet or seal an agreement, so it should always be warm, friendly, and positive” (Pease, 46). This is the type of handshake I observed while collecting my data. They were both friends, I assume from the way they spoke to each other and shook hands as a sign of warmth, friendship and positivity. How we greet people is more important than we might think. Although it is not a very popular form among younger people nowadays, it can be useful to see what kind of impression you will get. In the business world, your first impression is extremely important. The handshake is not just an empty courtesy, but is a tool to get business done and get to know the other person better.