When you see someone, whether you know them or not, you have to make a quick decision: Should you give them a hug ? A handshake? Maybe just a wave? Some awkward half-lean that lands somewhere in between? You’ve got maybe four seconds to decide—and if you and the other person arrive at different conclusions, things might get weird. There’s a reason greetings feel harder than they used to. “People work remotely more and have less opportunities to practice the skills of interacting and having these first-time conversations ,” says Jessica Goldberg, an executive coach who teaches leadership and communication skills at Columbia University and specializes in body language. Add in post-pandemic touch wariness , shifting workplace norms, and an expanded menu of options—fist bumps, cheek kisses, elbow taps, the dreaded too-close hug—and a basic hello can feel like a high-stakes negotiation. Here’s how experts say to navigate it.…