Beware of wet-fish handshake

IT'S a modern dilemma that everyone can relate to.
When meeting someone for the first time, there's that all-too-familiar, split-second moment of awkwardness - do you shake hands, go for the air kiss, or dive straight in for a hug?
A British survey earlier this year found the handshake to be in danger of almost dying out.
But what's the protocol in Tauranga these days? The Bay of Plenty Times went straight to the top to find out how the town's movers and shakers are greeting one another.
Mayor Stuart Crosby goes by the rule that you "can't go wrong" with a handshake.
"I think over the years it's changed a little. From my own perspective, if it's somebody I don't know at all or only meet infrequently, it's still a traditional hand-shake and a look in the eye."
But Mr Crosby acknowledged the "range of greetings" commonly practised in 2010, rather than simply the "good old handshake".
"It does depend on the person. If it's a female that I might have known a long time and call an acquaintance or personal friend, probably a handshake and then a kiss on the cheek maybe.
"If it's a Maori person that I'm familiar with, it will often be a hongi now, which I'm quite comfortable with doing in a public place. That never used to be the way."
While he said he "very rarely" found himself in an awkward situation, even the mayor admitted to sometimes stumbling.
"From time to time you think 'do I do this or do that?' I start off with just a traditional handshake and take it from there. You're in pretty safe territory."
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Max Mason has observed the rise in popularity of the hug as a greeting in the corporate world.
"I have noticed that in business circles now, hugs are used more often between opposite sexes, especially if the people are European or Maori. Both seem to use hugging and occasional cheek kisses."
His personal preference is to shake hands, with  men and women.
"Sometimes men and women don't shake hands as much as they could. I treat everyone absolutely equally and I do get as pleasant a response when I shake a woman's hand as I do a man's.
"With hugs and men, I'm a bit old-school with that kind of thing - it could be a few years before anyone gets a 'man hug' from me."
As a festival organiser, girl-about-town Jamie Joseph moves in  business circles and the entertainment world.
And when it comes to greetings, her philosophy is to take it on a "case-by-case basis".
"I tend to see how they react. In day-to-day business, I shake people's hands but sometimes it feels a bit too formal. It depends who it is.
"If I pick up on the energy, or if I know they are more relaxed, I don't."
Ms Joseph said staff at Tauranga City Council and corporate organisations such as Priority One were "big handshakers".
But when meeting musicians and people in the creative industry, Ms Joseph was more likely to hug.
"Sometimes in the music industry you do a half-hug - a tap on the back and then a half-hug."
And with members of Tauranga's South American community, a kiss on the cheek is appropriate.
"If in doubt, I would feed off the other person and see what they do."
But beware of the wet-fish handshake, which could give a poor impression.
"There's nothing worse than a weak handshake - it says a lot about somebody," Ms Joseph said.
Village PR director Bridgette Paton-Tapsell said her aim when meeting people was always to make them feel comfortable.
So the way she greets each individual depends on her relationship with the person, their culture and position, the event, and how long it's been since she's seen them.
"We do a lot of work with the fashion and beauty industry and this week I was in Auckland launching a beauty product to 30 media. Most of those women I greeted with a kiss," she said.
But with corporate clients and business media, she relied on a more formal handshake with an "approachable smile".