Vanessa Van Edwards explains the "palm flash," a non-verbal cue that signals competence and trustworthiness in the first seconds. Visible hands tap into an evolutionary signal that you're not hiding anything, reducing anxiety and building rapport. Keep your palms in view when you appear on stage, in a video, or enter a room.
How do we signal competence in just a few seconds? This is actually more about disarming someone. When we can see someone's palm, we know they're not hiding anything from us. It literally shows the intention of, I'm open to you. I could reach out and shake your hands. I could acknowledge you. So when you walk on stage, hop on video, walk into a room, I want you to do a palm flash. Morning, good to see everyone. Hi everyone. Or come on over. We love a palm because back from our caveman days, it made us feel like someone wasn't hiding something from us. Imagine if I were to teach this entire video not showing my hands. Your brain would begin to get distracted with the fact that you couldn't see my hands. And that's because when we can't see someone's hands, we worry about their intention. You're like, what are her hands doing back there? And the moment I bring them back out, you're like, ah, I can trust her again. You wanna have your hands visible the moment someone can first see you. So avoid those pockets. I know they're comfy. Avoid hiding them in a purse or behind a computer or a clipboard. Make sure your hands are visible, especially in those first few seconds.
