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Editors' Choice Article Building Rapport Establishing Strong Emotional Bonds | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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However, this isn't correct: developing rapport is a skill that anyone can learn and then use. And it doesn't matter what industry you're in or what position you hold - knowing how to build rapport can bring you countless opportunities. After all, when you have rapport with someone, that person wants to help you succeed! So what is rapport? And how you can learn the skills needed to build it? We'll examine all of this, and more, in this article. About Rapport The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines rapport as "relation characterized by harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity." Put simply, you have rapport with someone when there is mutual liking and trust. Once you've established rapport with a person, he or she is far more likely to be open with you and share information, buy your product, recommend you to others, or support your ideas. And when someone has established rapport with you, you're likely to do the same. Why Build Rapport? Building honest rapport is a skill that you can use anywhere. For instance, you can use rapport to:
Building Honest Rapport Clearly, you can build rapport honestly, or you can use it cynically. Good team working, for example, depends on good relationships. Honest rapport-building is great for developing these, and it benefits everyone. However, if you're building rapport to sell someone something that they wouldn't otherwise want, or that will do them harm, then this is cynical and manipulative. Watch out for this type of rapport-building - you may encounter it often! How to Build Rapport We'll now look at strategies and techniques that you can use to build rapport with others. 1. Find Common Ground Think of how comfortable you might feel if, while living thousands of miles from where you grew up, you met someone from your hometown. That sense of connectedness creates an instant rapport between two people! When you meet someone new, do your best to find something you have in common. Use open-ended questions to discover some personal information about the person: perhaps you attended the same school or university, have the same favorite vacation spot, grew up in the same city, know the same people, or root for the same sports team. Remember, any common ground can help establish rapport - it can even help to have an interest in someone's life or hobbies, or to share similar beliefs and values.
2. Focus on Your Appearance How you dress is a key component of making a great first impression and establishing rapport with someone. Your appearance should help you connect with people; not create a barrier. For instance, imagine you're a sales rep calling on a plant supervisor. You're dressed in a well-tailored, expensive suit. Meanwhile, the supervisor has been working out on the floor all day; he's dressed in jeans, a worn flannel shirt, and work boots. The difference in your appearance is likely to make him feel uncomfortable and perhaps even slightly resentful. A good rule of thumb is to dress just a little bit "better" than the people you're about to meet. Whenever possible, find out about this in advance. If you arrive and see that you're overdressed, you can quickly dress down by taking off your jacket or tie and by rolling up your shirtsleeves. 3. Be Empathic Empathy is about understanding other people by seeing things from their perspective, and by recognizing their emotions. Once you achieve this, it's easier to get "on their level." To be more empathic, develop your emotional intelligence so that you can understand others better. You can also use Perceptual Positions - a technique for seeing things from other people's perspectives. 4. Use Mirroring Mirroring is when you adjust your own body language and spoken language so that you "reflect" that of the person you're talking to. For example, law enforcement professionals apply the mirroring technique when interviewing witnesses, especially those who have just been through a traumatic experience. They might mirror the victim's body language, and adjust the volume and tone of their voice to match the victim's. To use mirroring:
5. Don't Forget About the Basics In developing rapport with others, you should also use the tried-and-true basics of good communication:
Reestablishing Rapport Once rapport has been lost, rebuilding it takes time. First, confront why you lost the rapport in the first place. Be humble and explain honestly and simply what happened. If you need to apologize, do so. Next, focus on ways of repairing any broken trust. Make an extra effort to put in extra work if you need to, and keep your word. Transparency and showing a genuine concern for the other person's needs will go a long way in rebuilding trust and reestablishing rapport. Key Points You build rapport when you develop mutual trust, friendship, and affinity with someone. Building rapport can be incredibly beneficial to your career - it opens doors and helps establish good relationships with clients, colleagues, and team members. To build rapport, use the following approaches.
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A Final Note
Once you've made a connection with the people you work with, it's so much easier for you to work together. What's more, you'll start building that sense of camaraderie that's so important in a happy, successful workplace. Next week the focus is on helping team members take responsibility for their work and for their actions. See you then!  James Manktelow Email us Mind Tools Essential Skills for an Excellent Career! |
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