Welcome to Spotlight.
I'm Liz Waid.
And I'm Joshua Leo.
Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting.
It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
How do you say hello?
Do you greet people with a kiss?
Do you place your arms around new people with a hug?
Or do you shake hands?
Shaking hands is a very common greeting, especially in countries with an English history.
In particular, it is common in business situations.
But it is also easy to make a mistake in shaking hands.
Today's Spotlight is on handshakes.
Indonesia, November 2010.
United States President Barack Obama stepped off the airplane.
His wife Michelle followed him.
They were happy to be in Indonesia.
They had many people to meet, and many places to visit.
At the state palace.
A large group of government ministers met them to greet them and welcome them to the country.
They stood in a reception line.
The Obamas greeted each person.
One of these men was communication and information minister Tifetil Sembiring.
When Michelle Obama met him, she held out her hand.
He took it in his hands, and they shook hands up and down.
They smiled at each other.
And then she moved to the next person.
It seemed like a normal, natural action.
And everyone was happy."
But the next day, on the website Twitter, Indonesians began to question Minister Tifatul.
He is known for his traditional Muslim beliefs.
He shares these beliefs widely on the internet.
And one of these beliefs is that he should not touch women who are not part of his family.
So why had he shaken hands with Michelle Obama?
Some Indonesians mocked Tifatul.
They laughed at him because he had not acted within his beliefs.
He quickly explained that he had no choice.
There was no way to refuse the handshake without being very rude.
This was a simple handshake.
But it had very different meanings to the people involved.
Was it a greeting?
A simple welcome?
Or was it offensive?
Was it wrong?
The handshake was a very small part of the visit.
It did not affect relations between the two countries.
And yet, many people were talking about it.
It showed the power of this small ritual.
September 1993, a large crowd gathered in front of the White House in the United States.
It was a historic day.
The crowd would witness the signing of a peace deal between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Liberation Organization .
Many groups had worked to develop this peace deal.
It had taken years of preparation and many peace talks.
But were the leaders truly devoted to peace?
Yitzhak Rabin was the Prime Minister of Israel.
Yasser Arafat was the leader of the PLO.
Both men had agreed to attend.
In front of the crowd, the foreign ministers signed the peace agreement.
And then the two leaders shook hands.
It was the first time that the leaders of these two enemies had touched.
The enemies had become allies, partners in building peace.
This meeting did bring a new peace in Israel-Palestine.
Sadly, since that time, conflict has started again.
It is difficult to imagine a similar handshake now.
A handshake that showed peace and partnership was possible then, and we hope that it will be possible again.
These are examples of very important handshakes.
But of course, most of the time, handshakes do not have as much importance as in that meeting.
Most handshakes are a simple greeting.
However, they are more common in some places than in others.
As we said earlier, this is especially true in English-speaking countries.
In these countries, handshakes are common in every situation.
When meeting a new person, or even when greeting someone that you have not seen for a long time.
People also use handshakes to congratulate or to say goodbye.
Men and women shake hands equally.
In Asian countries, handshakes are used in business.
But in other situations, there are other greetings.
For example, in Thailand, people greet each other using the wai.
A person holds his hands so that the palms press together.
Then, the person gives a small bow, bending at the waist.
If the hands are closer to his face, the person is showing more respect.
Similar gestures are used in India, Cambodia, and other countries.
In Latin America, people shake hands, but they also may greet with a kiss.
For example, a woman greeting another woman will kiss lightly on each cheek and then shake hands.
In some places, men may also greet this way, but it is not as common.
Cheek kissing is common in many other parts of the world, too.
But it is slightly different in each place.
For example, in Greece, two people may kiss twice, one kiss on each cheek.
But in parts of France, people will kiss four times.
There are different kinds of handshakes to give.
For example, have you considered how hard or soft to hold the other person's hand?
In Asian countries it is common to have a soft handshake, to hold the hand lightly and only move up and down a small amount.
But in the United States, people have a harder handshake.
They hold the hand more tightly or firmly and shake up and down more.
In Latin American countries people may feel that a handshake that is too hard is hostile, but a handshake that is too soft may communicate weakness.
So if you are shaking hands, how do you know the best way to communicate a simple greeting?
Do you use a hard or soft handshake?
Do you hold with both hands or just one?
Do you kiss?
Or is a handshake not the right thing at all?
There are a few ways to know what to do.
You can start by asking questions like these.
What do you know about the person you are greeting?
Where are they from?
If they are from another culture, do not be worried if they greet you in a different way.
Just follow what they do.
Sometimes you can look to your host, the person whose home or business you are in.
How are they greeting?
But if you make a mistake, do not worry.
And do not judge too quickly if someone else makes a small mistake.
The important thing is the greeting and the feeling behind it.
The greeting is just the first step in your meeting.
Not every handshake is the center of a peace agreement or a statement of belief.
For most handshakes, the most important thing is your friendly attitude.
How do you shake hands?
Write and tell us about your experiences.
Our email address is radio at radioenglishnet Or you can write to us on our website at wwwradioenglishnet.
The writer of this program was Christy Van Aragon.
The producer was Joshua Leo.
The voices you heard were from the United States.
You can hear more Spotlight programs at www.radioenglish.net.
This program is called, Shaking Hands.
We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program.
Goodbye.
