I Still Believe in Handshakes

by RJ Taylor

I still believe in handshakes…

Stay with me for just a second… I made a new friend recently. Really. In 2020.

Here’s how it happened…

A friend tagged me in an Instagram comment with someone I had never met. This person is in my social circle but we had never crossed paths and we weren’t even following each other. The comment said, “@RJExcited You guys would have a blast getting to know each other!”. I followed up with a DM and said “Happy Monday! Matt mentioned we should connect.. Let’s grab a virtual coffee! What time this week works best?” A couple days later… I’ve got a bomb new friend.

How is it possible to make friends if we can’t meet in person?

How can we really get to know people well enough in a virtual environment?

What does it take to develop meaningful relationships virtually?

For more than 15 years, Phired Up has taught that “handshakes lead to conversations, conversations lead to relationships, relationships lead to collaboration, collaboration results in organizations, and organizations (like fraternities and sororities) change lives and change the world”.

Hot take – I STILL believe in handshakes!

In 2020, handshakes just look different. They often look like interest/registration forms, social media DMs, phone calls, and text messages.

And those handshakes can still lead to important conversations and meaningful connections.

Here’s the catch – the way we choose to show up for our conversations matters probably *10x more than ever!

*Just a rough estimate based on some initial polling…

If you still believe in handshakes, you have to keep reading (CLICK HERE). We have more to share about how to build real connections in this strange new virtual world.