How You Greet Someone Means Something

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What does a greeting really mean?

​This probably isn’t something you think about very often. It might even be something you’ve never thought twice about.
 
And, that is why I’m bringing it to your attention.
 
The way we greet others and the way others greet us can tell us a lot about our relationship with that person. It can tell us how we feel about someone else without realizing it, how they make us feel, and at the same time, it can tell them how we feel about them.
 
I’m going to write this a bit differently than my normal articles. One side is going to be from you giving a greeting while the other will be you receiving the greeting.

Giving a Greeting
When you first meet someone, you probably do the same thing every time. You go in for a handshake and introduce yourself. Hopefully, you smile and give a warm feeling.
 
However, your second or third greeting is likely to change based on how you feel about them.
 
When you really like someone you might:

• Walk a little faster to say hi
• Raise your inflection and energy
• Give a more intimate hello – hug, handshake to hug, etc.
• Be a little lighter on your feet
• Begin your smile a lot earlier in anticipation of seeing them
• Have deeper eye contact leading into your greeting

 
Think about someone you always get excited to see. Think about someone you feel obligated to see or don’t want to see. Now, think about how your greetings change based on the people you are thinking about.
 
Sometimes, we may not even know how excited we are to see someone, but once they arrive our body language takes over and tells the story for us.
 
There have been so many times when I go to meet with someone and when I arrive my body language takes over and I realize how excited I am to actually be meeting this person.
 
Here’s another example for you. Your best friend is in town and you haven’t seen them in a while. I bet you run up to them and give them a big hug. That greeting is based on how you feel about them and how you want them to feel when you see them.
 
Why is this important?
 
It’s important because when you notice yourself changing or adapting your greeting in a positive manner, it means you have a stronger connection with that other person. Because of that, you should make the effort to build and expand on your relationship with that person.
 
Life is about spending time and building relationships with people you care about. This is one way to identify those people and spend more time, while identifying people you don’t get excited about and spending less time or figuring out how to better your relationship.
 
Receiving a Greeting
This part is pretty simple. Notice how people greet you. You will get a great idea of how someone feels about you from there greeting.
 
For example, I went to conference in March and while I was there I met a ton of new people. On day one, I was meeting everyone and getting to know them. On day two, things got interesting. There were some people I exchanged greetings with who were pretty similar to day one – professional and traditional. There’s nothing wrong with this and maybe it’s going to take a deeper connection before things change. On the other hand, there were some people whose faces lit up when they saw me and they came running over to say hi.
 
That’s the difference. That second group of people not only made me feel absolutely amazing, but because of their greeting I wanted to spend more time with them and I knew that we had connected at a great level. I knew that I had made a big enough impression on them that they wanted to see me again. They were excited and that’s what it’s all about.
 
How you receive a greeting is a great way to recognize the impact you have on someone else and how someone else feels about you. Think about how people greet you. Notice the differences and see how that makes you feel.
 
All in all, a greeting is much more than just a greeting. It’s a way to identify how you feel about someone and how someone feels about you. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to give someone a warm welcome!

Jake Kelfer is a lifestyle entrepreneur and life elevator. He is the bestselling author of Elevate Beyond and Elevate Your Network and a high energy inspirational speaker on a mission to elevate and motivate millions of people to achieve their definition of success. He is the founder of the Professional Basketball Combine which helps NBA draft prospects turn their dreams of playing pro basketball into their reality. He and his work have been featured on Forbes, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, NBC Sports, USA Today, Bleacher Report, and many other major media outlets. Connect with Jake on social @jakekelfer!