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Rapport Building for Business Success

Written by: Michael Heah

Article Overview: Why is it that sometimes we connect so naturally with some people, and at other times, we feel distant and uncomfortable with them? The secret lies in rapport-building. Read this article for rapport-building strategies and steps.

Rapport Building for Business Success



The fastest and easiest way to get someone on your side is to make them feel that you care for them. Of course, you can't be going around telling this to everyone you meet. But there is a way through your body language that you can silently tell them so.

Before we go into some details on this, always remember that ‘people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care'. Your extraordinary IQ, impressive credentials, rich background or your excellent products mean little to the other person until you have given them the reason why they should be interested in all these that you have; and that is because, you care. You must have experienced how close or distant you have been with someone before; like having the positive feeling that ‘they are interested in me' to negative ones like ‘they don't care a hoot about me'.

How you know this is because people unknowingly let off clues about their feelings or what they are thinking. Our bodily reactions which others can see are direct results of our thoughts. Most of us think too much and we are preoccupied with something (including the uneasiness of talking with someone). Strangely, our bodies shoot off all kinds of signals to tell the other person how we feel; but not so when we are at ease with someone whom we are close or familiar with. Truly, we are at our best when we are most natural.

So here lies the clue to overcome poor body language when we are talking with strangers. Treat the other person like an old buddy of yours. This is when you are able to direct your thoughts to responses like being candid and be unselfconsciously friendly to the other person. That's when the pretending stops. You will be amazed how your entire body language buoys up and everything gets lighted up like meeting up with an old buddy. This joyful experience then starts a remarkable chain of reactions in your body that goes to strengthen your rapport with the person.



Powerful Rapport Building Steps

1. Show a sincere interest in them. Listen first, before you open your mouth.

2. Ask general questions about them; for example, their interests, their family, the car they drive and their place of work, etc. Get to know them like a new and good friend.

3. Find out as much as you can about them, all the time looking for common interests that both of you have.

4. Let them talk as long as they like. The more they talk, the more you show a sincere interest in them.

5. Use mirroring and matching to align your style to theirs. This means doing a little of what they are doing.

6. Observe and match their communication style. Do they like to get right down to business, tell stories or joke around? Do they talk softly, loudly, quickly or slowly? Do they communicate visually, using words like see, clear and reveal or auditory, using words like hear, clear as a bell or tune in or kinesthetic, using words like feel, get a hand on and concrete, etc.

7. Observe and match their posture; are they sitting or standing? Are their legs crossed or arms folded? Do they use their hands when they talk or do they lean forward with their arms on the desk?

8. Once you can sense that the right atmosphere is created, you can then go into the other areas that you want to talk to them about.

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Article Tags: body language, business success, coach, coaching, rapport building



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