What your greeting says about you
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
Hi.
You’re friendly but don’t have time for small talk. You want to make the point and move along. Usually, by the time the sound of the long i dies down, you’re three steps past the person you just acknowledged.
Hello.
You want something from the other person but don’t want to come right out and say it. What more of a hint does this person need? you ask yourself. If only people understood wants and needs as clearly as you, then communication would be much easier.
How’s it going?
You could not care less how anything is going, other than your own need to get through the day. Most likely, you’re male, as is the other party. You avoid eye contact, save for brief moments to judge the friendliness of the one being greeted.
Hey.
You can’t remember the person’s name, so you chum it up to compensate for your lack of memory. But when the other person responds using your name, your gaze darts high or low as you run through excuses for an escape. Don’t bother. The other person beat you to it.
Howdy.
You want to get the first word in and want it to throw the other party off so they can’t get too many words in. You’re the focus of attention.