Also called Young Michael Scott Shaking Ed Truck’s Hand · Michael Scott and Ed Truck · Awkward Office Handshake
A confident older colleague shakes hands with a stiff-looking young Michael Scott. Label the two people to show an introduction where one person seems much more at ease than the other.
The handshake is formal, but the expressions do not match. One person looks comfortable posing while the other appears unsure how to handle the moment.
It suits meeting an experienced colleague, being introduced to a family acquaintance, or trying to look professional on a first day. The labels establish the roles; the photo supplies the awkwardness.
The photograph appears in The Carpet, an episode of The Office first broadcast on January 26, 2006. It depicts a younger Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, shaking hands with his former boss Ed Truck, played by Ken Howard. [1] [2]
The picture circulated outside the episode before becoming an object-labeling template. Mindy Kaling shared it in a March 2016 tribute to Howard; by 2019, meme versions were labeling the two figures as people in awkward introductions. [2]
Place the first role on Ed’s dark jacket at the left. Put the second on Michael’s trousers at the lower right, leaving the handshake and both faces visible.
Make the roles specific enough to suggest why the introduction feels unequal. Short noun phrases work better than a full conversation across the photograph.
Original captions to try with this template.
The experienced colleague is at ease while the newcomer tries to make a good impression.
One person knows the family well; the other is still finding something to say.
The customer knows the routine better than the person serving them.
References for this template. Example captions are original.
Lists the Office episode and its January 26, 2006 release.
Identifies the prop photograph, actors, and later circulation as a labeled meme.
