I have hugged or been hugged at every event I have attended or hosted where I met up with someone I knew. My Happy Hours are hug-fests where it is so natural to go up to someone who I may not know or have known for years, and hug them. This seems to be a natural reaction, especially in our Design Community group.
Obviously, hugging is not accepted in the social distancing handbook, and hand-shaking is definitely out. We’re going to have to come up with a different way of acknowledging each other. Here’s some ideas you can comment on:
- In Japan, people greet each other by bowing. A bow can range from a small nod of the head to a deep bend at the waist. A deeper, longer bow indicates respect and conversely a small nod with the head is casual and informal.
- What happened to waving? Who decided waving is only OK when there’s significant distance in between people? I say waving at a friend who’s right in front of you is totally acceptable.
- A nice head nod in someone’s general direction can be a cool way to greet. Maybe practice in the mirror a few times to really perfect your execution.
- The high-five is always a good alternative as long as you don’t actually touch the other person. It can be used across the room in combination with the wave.
- Greetings don’t have to involve physical contact. There’s nothing wrong with verbally saying hello to someone and not taking things any further. Say hi and quickly present a follow up question, like “how have you been?” to keep the conversation going. No time for hugs here.
These are just some of the suggestions to think about.
Hopefully we will be clinking wine glasses soon!
