136 W H A T EVERY BODY IS SAYING
When the hands are out of sight or less expressive, it detracts from the per-
ceived quality and honesty of the information being transmitted.
The Power of a HandshakeA handshake is usually the first—and possibly only—physical contact we
have with another person. How we do it, including its strength and how
long it is maintained, can affect how we are perceived by the person we are
greeting. We can all remember someone who shook our hand and left us
feeling uncomfortable about them or about the situation. Don’t dismiss the
power of a handshake to leave an impression. It is very significant.
BOX 36: AN UNDERHANDED EXPERIMENTYears ago I conducted an informal study in three of my classes. I asked
students to interview each other, instructing half of the class to keep their
hands under their desks during the conversation, while the other half was
told to leave their hands visible. After a fifteen-minute interview, we dis-
covered that the people with their hands under the desk were generally
perceived as being uncomfortable, withdrawn (holding back), sneaky, or
even deceptive by those with whom they were speaking. Those interview-
ers with their hands in plain view on top of the desk were perceived as
being more open and friendly, and none was perceived as deceptive. Not
a very scientific experiment, but quite instructive.
When conducting jury surveys, one thing that stands out is how much
jurors dislike it when attorneys hide behind the lectern. Jurors want to see
the attorney’s hands so they can gauge the presentation more accurately.
Jurors also don’t like it when witnesses hide their hands; they perceive
this negatively, commenting that the witness must be holding back, or
perhaps even lying. While these behaviors have nothing to do with decep-
tion per se, the perception of the jurors is significant, reminding us that
concealment of the hands should be avoided.