When was the last time you saw people shaking hands?
I can't remember either.
Maybe in a movie.
Hi, I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcastcom, and I am here to help you to speak English fluently, with no grammar and no textbooks.
Today, I will talk about different ways to greet someone, while avoiding physical contact as much as possible.
And with a mini story, you will improve your fluency.
I will ask you many questions that you will have to answer right away.
It's like speaking English with another person.
The situation has changed quite a bit since last year.
It has impacted the way we interact with other people drastically.
Nowadays, instead of shaking hands, we tend to wave from the distance.
Today we will look at some ways of saying hello that have become popular over the last year.
Let's start. elbow bump.
The idea is to use your elbow to touch the other person's elbow.
The elbow is the joint we have in the middle of each arm.
I consider this kind of greeting a bit absurd, since you end up making physical contact in another way, but you avoid contact with your hands.
However, it's easy to touch your elbows with your hands.
For example, you might touch your elbows when crossing your arms.
So it's better not to have any contact at all.
Number 2.
Saying hello with your feet.
Yes, I've seen people use their feet to say hello.
And it looks strange.
But the first time I saw it, I thought it was hilarious.
The idea is to make each other's feet collide.
I guess it's safer than the elbow bump.
But it requires some skill to stay balanced.
For a couple of seconds, you need to stand on one foot.
So perhaps for older people, it's not the best idea.
Number 3.
High-five from a distance.
See, this seems more logical to me.
You raise your right hand and pretend you are high-fiving.
There is no contact whatsoever.
However, imagine you will greet someone and you high five in the air, but the other person doesn't and stares at what you're doing.
It's a bit embarrassing.
Number four military style salute.
As you can imagine, it is the typical salute that militaries give, although we do it in a more relaxed and less abrupt way.
When I greet someone on the street, I raise my hand and say hello.
I do it quickly, and it's more natural that way.
I don't like the elbow or foot greeting.
Before I move on to the next section, go and get the transcript of this episode.
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Okay.
Let's continue with a mini story.
A mini story is very simple but really powerful.
I ask easy questions on purpose so that you can simulate a conversation.
It's like talking with another person in English.
Let's start.
James didn't know how to say hello, so he started winking as a greeting.
Did James know how to say hello?
No.
James didn't know how to say hello.
Who didn't know how to say hello?
James.
James didn't know how to say hello.
Did it occur to James to do the military salute?
No, he didn't think of that.
He thought of winking, that is, close and open his eye.
One day, James winked at a married woman, and she slapped him.
Did James wink at a single woman?
No, no.
He winked at a married woman.
Did she give him a kiss?
No, not a kiss, but a slap.
She slapped him.
What did the woman give poor James?
A slap.
She slapped him.
James tried something new.
This time, he waved his hands.
What did James decide?
He decided to wave his hands.
How did James salute after he got slapped?
He no longer winked.
He waved his hands.
People started imitating James.
And his salute became popular.
What did people start doing?
People started imitating James.
Did his salute become popular?
Yes, it became popular.
Why did it become popular?
Because people started to imitate James.
When people greet each other, it looks like they are catching flies or clapping their hands.
Does it look like people are catching flies?
Yes, it looks like people are catching flies when they greet each other.
Does it look like they are hunting elephants?
No, no, it looks like they are catching flies.
Perfect!
It's the end of this mini-story.
As you can see through questions and answers, you can practice and improve your speech, just like in a real conversation.
This is one of the techniques that I use in my premium courses.
I recommend you take a look at speakenglishpodcast.com slash courses.
Okay, this is the end of this episode.
Remember to listen to it several times.
It will help you with your English.
See you soon.
Bye-bye.
